Friday, October 3, 2008
Chicken Tikka Masala
I finally tried the Chicken Tikka Masala recipe from Heston Blumenthal's book "Further Adventures in search of Perfection". Anyone who has seen his TV shows or books know that his recipes are extremely involved and sometimes crazy, which is perfect for me! It was a two-day process, starting with the brining of the chicken. I couldn't find fenugreek leaves and kashmiri chili's, and I didn't build my own "oven" and make my own naan. Other than that, I followed every step in the recipe religiously, and the resulting dish was the best butter chicken dish I have ever had (actually, I am not completely clear on the difference between Chicken Tikka Masala and butter chicken...).
Monday, August 4, 2008
Japanese, home-made
We decided to try making a sushi meal today. We started with a pretty traditional miso soup with some diced tofu and finely cut konbu. It tasted just like the "real thing" in restaurant.
The next course is a spinach gomae salad (sesame sauce). It was definitely one of my favorite things. The sauce has the fragrance of sesame and is a little bit sweet and salty. The only complaint is that one whole bunch of spinach shrunk down to almost nothing. I wish there was more.
Then we get to the stars of the show. First, we made some inside-out rolls with cucumber, avocado, and crab inside, and tobiko outside. I have to say that it tasted just as good as any that I have tasted in restaurant, so it was a great success. The only thing is that they don't look as good as the ones made in restaurants.
Next are some "battleship" sushi filled with the remaining tobiko. I had a little bit of trouble forming these things but at the end it worked okay and tasted good.
Finally, we made some nigiri with tuna. The fish was cut perhaps too thin and wide at first (the angle of the blade and the cutting board was too small) but we managed to figure out how to do it right at the end. The sushi didn't fall apart, but again they didn't look as good as the ones done by professionals---there may have been too much rice on the bottom and/or the rice is not as compact. Still, it tasted really good.
The next course is a spinach gomae salad (sesame sauce). It was definitely one of my favorite things. The sauce has the fragrance of sesame and is a little bit sweet and salty. The only complaint is that one whole bunch of spinach shrunk down to almost nothing. I wish there was more.
Then we get to the stars of the show. First, we made some inside-out rolls with cucumber, avocado, and crab inside, and tobiko outside. I have to say that it tasted just as good as any that I have tasted in restaurant, so it was a great success. The only thing is that they don't look as good as the ones made in restaurants.
Next are some "battleship" sushi filled with the remaining tobiko. I had a little bit of trouble forming these things but at the end it worked okay and tasted good.
Finally, we made some nigiri with tuna. The fish was cut perhaps too thin and wide at first (the angle of the blade and the cutting board was too small) but we managed to figure out how to do it right at the end. The sushi didn't fall apart, but again they didn't look as good as the ones done by professionals---there may have been too much rice on the bottom and/or the rice is not as compact. Still, it tasted really good.
Chorizo
This actually happened a few weeks ago...we made chorizo sausage from the recipe in Rick Bayless' book...we did not stuff the sausage but it was still a bit of work grinding the spices, meat, etc. We ended up just frying the meat on rice with a fried egg. The sausage was very tasty, though a little bit sour for my taste. But I understand that's the way it was supposed to be.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Cooking again
I am back home and started cooking again...here is the first meal that is worth blogging about.
The first course was some sauteed shrimps that has been marinated with lemongrass and garlic, with some fried leeks on top. All of that sitting in some tomato water, diced cucumber, and basil. This is a very refreshing summer dish, though I did have to add a bit of salt to the tomato water at the end (I did not season it at all at first...I thought that the salt may ruin the fresh taste).
The main course was a pork loin roast that has been brined, with roasted asparagus and a cauliflower gratin. For some strange reason, the pork roast was cooked on the inside (the loin part) but not on the outside, so the meat wasn't cooked even though the temperature probe says yes. This is very strange. I ended up slicing the roast and putting it back into the oven a bit. The loin was slightly overcooked but the rest was great, though with the brine even the overcooked part remains juicy and tasty. Unfortunately we couldn't wait and ate all the side dishes before the pork was ready. I still have no idea why the meat cooked in this strange way, especially since the meat was seared on the outside first...
For dessert, we had a lemon sorbet with some candied lemon peel. It was very refreshing and a nice way to finish off a meal in the summer.
The first course was some sauteed shrimps that has been marinated with lemongrass and garlic, with some fried leeks on top. All of that sitting in some tomato water, diced cucumber, and basil. This is a very refreshing summer dish, though I did have to add a bit of salt to the tomato water at the end (I did not season it at all at first...I thought that the salt may ruin the fresh taste).
The main course was a pork loin roast that has been brined, with roasted asparagus and a cauliflower gratin. For some strange reason, the pork roast was cooked on the inside (the loin part) but not on the outside, so the meat wasn't cooked even though the temperature probe says yes. This is very strange. I ended up slicing the roast and putting it back into the oven a bit. The loin was slightly overcooked but the rest was great, though with the brine even the overcooked part remains juicy and tasty. Unfortunately we couldn't wait and ate all the side dishes before the pork was ready. I still have no idea why the meat cooked in this strange way, especially since the meat was seared on the outside first...
For dessert, we had a lemon sorbet with some candied lemon peel. It was very refreshing and a nice way to finish off a meal in the summer.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Guu round 2
On our last night in Vancouver, we went to Guu again for more.
Our first dish was baked duck breast with a miso sauce. The duck was served medium rare and very tender, and the slightly sweet miso sauce worked very well with the duck.
The next dish is grilled squid tentacles. The tentacles were surprisingly tender. Very nice.
Baked oysters in a roe-mayo sauce. Not our favorite, but not bad. The oysters were actually only a piece of oysters cut from the whole oyster.
Grilled pork belly: same dish as the last time, but this time even better.
Sweet shrimp sashimi: the shrimps are very fresh and actually sweet. The shrimps were small, though, and would have been even better if they were meaty.
Grilled scallops and mushrooms on toast. Same dish as last time, just as good.
Pumpkin croquette: really strange thing. It's a big ball of mashed pumpkin with a hard-boiled egg in the middle, all topped with a somewhat spicy sauce. Not our favorite, but it has to be tried.
Bacon-wrapped asparagus: how can you go wrong with bacon-wrapped anything?
Our first dish was baked duck breast with a miso sauce. The duck was served medium rare and very tender, and the slightly sweet miso sauce worked very well with the duck.
The next dish is grilled squid tentacles. The tentacles were surprisingly tender. Very nice.
Baked oysters in a roe-mayo sauce. Not our favorite, but not bad. The oysters were actually only a piece of oysters cut from the whole oyster.
Grilled pork belly: same dish as the last time, but this time even better.
Sweet shrimp sashimi: the shrimps are very fresh and actually sweet. The shrimps were small, though, and would have been even better if they were meaty.
Grilled scallops and mushrooms on toast. Same dish as last time, just as good.
Pumpkin croquette: really strange thing. It's a big ball of mashed pumpkin with a hard-boiled egg in the middle, all topped with a somewhat spicy sauce. Not our favorite, but it has to be tried.
Bacon-wrapped asparagus: how can you go wrong with bacon-wrapped anything?
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Guu
Last night "K" recommended that we go to Guu for some Izakaya style cuisine. It was a number of small dishes that are suited to go with drinking. The food is not fancy by any means, and reasonably cheap. But the quality is great and the small plates allow us to sample many different things. It has a regular menu and also a large menu of special items for the day.
Monk fish liver: I have heard that this is the Japanese version of "foie gras" and I was not disappointed. Texture is great: just like foie gras. There is a bit of a fishy taste but it is actually good. It looks like the liver was wrapped in a log shape and poached gently. Delicate and very tasty. There were seaweeds on the bottom as well.
Grilled octopus balls: standard "street food" in Japan. It was done very nicely with some teriyaki sauce and mustard. I almost forgot to take a picture before we finished them all! Oops.
Grilled black cod with miso mayonnaise, with some grilled beans and bamboo shoots: I don't know what else to say...can we ever have too much black cod/sablefish? This is definitely not as delicately done as the other ones I have had at the more upscale restaurants, but it is still wonderful (and extremely good price!). The miso mayo was perhaps a little strong for me, and the fatty bits close to the skin shows that it is perhaps not a "choice cut" piece of fish. Still, the fat gives it extra "fish flavor" and it gives a different kind of enjoyment.
Traditional hot pot (Oden) with broth and various items: daikon, taro jelly, fried tofu, and various fish/squid cakes. Not our favorite, but it is still very interesting.
Grilled pork belly and garlic: the sauce is wonderful, and how can you go wrong with grilled pork fat?
Grilled scallops on toast: there were some sauteed fresh shiitake on top as well. The flavors were wonderful. The toast got a bit soggy, though, probably because we waited too long before eating.
Pork intestines: with some grilled green onions. It's an okay dish. The intestines are chewy as you would expect with a little bit of an "intestine taste" (don't know how else to describe it). It was good street food but not spectacular. I think this is the large intestine, but I could be wrong. The grilled green onions were very tasty.
Grilled rice balls with black sesame filling: this was great. I have heard of grilled mochi but I have never tasted it. The texture was wonderfully crispy yet very light. The crispy layer is extremely thin (no batter). Black sesame is definitely one of my favorite things for dessert.
With all this food, plenty of sake, taxes and tips, it came under $60 for two people. I think this is really good for the price we paid. Certainly worth going back again.
Monk fish liver: I have heard that this is the Japanese version of "foie gras" and I was not disappointed. Texture is great: just like foie gras. There is a bit of a fishy taste but it is actually good. It looks like the liver was wrapped in a log shape and poached gently. Delicate and very tasty. There were seaweeds on the bottom as well.
Grilled octopus balls: standard "street food" in Japan. It was done very nicely with some teriyaki sauce and mustard. I almost forgot to take a picture before we finished them all! Oops.
Grilled black cod with miso mayonnaise, with some grilled beans and bamboo shoots: I don't know what else to say...can we ever have too much black cod/sablefish? This is definitely not as delicately done as the other ones I have had at the more upscale restaurants, but it is still wonderful (and extremely good price!). The miso mayo was perhaps a little strong for me, and the fatty bits close to the skin shows that it is perhaps not a "choice cut" piece of fish. Still, the fat gives it extra "fish flavor" and it gives a different kind of enjoyment.
Traditional hot pot (Oden) with broth and various items: daikon, taro jelly, fried tofu, and various fish/squid cakes. Not our favorite, but it is still very interesting.
Grilled pork belly and garlic: the sauce is wonderful, and how can you go wrong with grilled pork fat?
Grilled scallops on toast: there were some sauteed fresh shiitake on top as well. The flavors were wonderful. The toast got a bit soggy, though, probably because we waited too long before eating.
Pork intestines: with some grilled green onions. It's an okay dish. The intestines are chewy as you would expect with a little bit of an "intestine taste" (don't know how else to describe it). It was good street food but not spectacular. I think this is the large intestine, but I could be wrong. The grilled green onions were very tasty.
Grilled rice balls with black sesame filling: this was great. I have heard of grilled mochi but I have never tasted it. The texture was wonderfully crispy yet very light. The crispy layer is extremely thin (no batter). Black sesame is definitely one of my favorite things for dessert.
With all this food, plenty of sake, taxes and tips, it came under $60 for two people. I think this is really good for the price we paid. Certainly worth going back again.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Tojo's, Round 2
I was so impressed by Tojo's that I convinced "K" to go there with me again after we met up in Vancouver. Neither of us were disappointed.
I found out that the Omakase would be the same one I had the last time, so we decided to order a la carte instead.
The first dish was the daily selection of sashimi. There was tuna, toro, sweet shrimp, hamachi, and other fish that we don't recognize. Everything was very fresh. The salmon was one of the freshest I have tasted in Canada (maybe with the exception of Hiro Sushi in Toronto).
Next dish: marinated grilled sablefish. It's sablefish again, and I love it just as much. The sauteed vegetables and sauce was almost the same as the one I had on the fried fish. Very tasty. The texture of the sablefish is buttery and the flavor of marinade is very good. I think it must be a variation of the "standard" miso marinade that everyone is using...
Next one: spider roll. This is a pretty standard roll in many places, but the crab legs are much
longer. Also, it is wrapped in thin sheets of cucumber instead of seaweed. The sushi rice at Tojo's is actually mushier than any other sushi rice I have tasted. I think this is by design, though I do not know whether I like it this way.
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Next one: some nigiri. From top left clockwise: octopus, mackerel, scallop, salt water eel (anagi, less common). Everything was very fresh. The interesting part is that the outer skin of the octopus is actually trimmed, so there is a more delicate mouthfeel to it. It is still a little chewy, but not crunchy.
More nigiri: this is a fish called "three line grunt". Never heard of it before, so we tried. It was good, but I don't have much more to say.
Dessert: we saw two interesting desserts so we ordered both for sharing. First comes the green tea creme brulee, coconut ice cream, and sesame cracker. The creme brulee is actually heavier/more solid than I like, but I think that's a Japanese thing because I remember this sort of consistency for custard when I was in Japan. The taste was good, but I prefer a "lighter" tasting creme brulee like ginger, for example.
The other dessert is a black sesame panna cotta and grapefruit jelly. The jelly was "the essence of grapefruit"...I tried one spoon but I don't have much to say due to my lack of grapefruit experiences. The black sesame taste was relatively light but very effective. It is definitely
lighter than the black sesame ice cream that I like so much. Still, it works very well.
Because we know what we are getting, the meal was perhaps less exciting than an Omakase. Still, everything was excellent and I was very glad that I have another chance to try Tojo's. I am glad I don't live in Vancouver, or I would be bankrupt very soon.
I found out that the Omakase would be the same one I had the last time, so we decided to order a la carte instead.
The first dish was the daily selection of sashimi. There was tuna, toro, sweet shrimp, hamachi, and other fish that we don't recognize. Everything was very fresh. The salmon was one of the freshest I have tasted in Canada (maybe with the exception of Hiro Sushi in Toronto).
Next dish: marinated grilled sablefish. It's sablefish again, and I love it just as much. The sauteed vegetables and sauce was almost the same as the one I had on the fried fish. Very tasty. The texture of the sablefish is buttery and the flavor of marinade is very good. I think it must be a variation of the "standard" miso marinade that everyone is using...
Next one: spider roll. This is a pretty standard roll in many places, but the crab legs are much
longer. Also, it is wrapped in thin sheets of cucumber instead of seaweed. The sushi rice at Tojo's is actually mushier than any other sushi rice I have tasted. I think this is by design, though I do not know whether I like it this way.
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu7qxqkxqTzu8nUuA1qeNKNWTtWs5_LV-G4WcpkE7rKt7_inm7Woj-74f1q_TxrMe3LqBgvMMyx0Cem0rNWMuMMWGBtu5uBxbBELMA0FKakFmj4b-paZNx5N1nSltJrqD_ytj9VTeVOWpV/s1600-h/CIMG0073.JPG">
Next one: some nigiri. From top left clockwise: octopus, mackerel, scallop, salt water eel (anagi, less common). Everything was very fresh. The interesting part is that the outer skin of the octopus is actually trimmed, so there is a more delicate mouthfeel to it. It is still a little chewy, but not crunchy.
More nigiri: this is a fish called "three line grunt". Never heard of it before, so we tried. It was good, but I don't have much more to say.
Dessert: we saw two interesting desserts so we ordered both for sharing. First comes the green tea creme brulee, coconut ice cream, and sesame cracker. The creme brulee is actually heavier/more solid than I like, but I think that's a Japanese thing because I remember this sort of consistency for custard when I was in Japan. The taste was good, but I prefer a "lighter" tasting creme brulee like ginger, for example.
The other dessert is a black sesame panna cotta and grapefruit jelly. The jelly was "the essence of grapefruit"...I tried one spoon but I don't have much to say due to my lack of grapefruit experiences. The black sesame taste was relatively light but very effective. It is definitely
lighter than the black sesame ice cream that I like so much. Still, it works very well.
Because we know what we are getting, the meal was perhaps less exciting than an Omakase. Still, everything was excellent and I was very glad that I have another chance to try Tojo's. I am glad I don't live in Vancouver, or I would be bankrupt very soon.
Lumiere Tasting Bar
I went to Lumiere Tasting Bar last Friday. I order from the $40 fixed price menu. The first course I ordered was tuna tartar with black truffles. It was very nice. Tuna was fresh, and the small amounts of truffle works well without overpowering the dish.
The main course was one of the signature dishes: sake-maple marinated sablefish, braised short rib meat, and a ginger-soy foam. It was good, though I have to say that I prefer the sablefish at the other places that I have gone to. Perhaps the sake-maple was a bit too light and didn't do much for me. In fact I can hardly taste it. The braised short ribs were delicious. I will have to try to do that myself (the "special" ingredient seems to be Port in addition to the usual braising ingredients of red wine, mirepoix, etc.).
The dessert was a milk chocolate bar with vanilla ice cream. Nothing extraordinary, but still very good.
Overall, it is perhaps not as good as I imagined from such a famous restaurant. On the other hand, I paid less than $60 for a 3-course meal including wine, tax, and tips. I think these cheaper fixed price menus are a great way to sample good food from these great restaurants. I am certainly very happy with the "quality-price" ratio. I would certainly go back again if I have a chance.
The main course was one of the signature dishes: sake-maple marinated sablefish, braised short rib meat, and a ginger-soy foam. It was good, though I have to say that I prefer the sablefish at the other places that I have gone to. Perhaps the sake-maple was a bit too light and didn't do much for me. In fact I can hardly taste it. The braised short ribs were delicious. I will have to try to do that myself (the "special" ingredient seems to be Port in addition to the usual braising ingredients of red wine, mirepoix, etc.).
The dessert was a milk chocolate bar with vanilla ice cream. Nothing extraordinary, but still very good.
Overall, it is perhaps not as good as I imagined from such a famous restaurant. On the other hand, I paid less than $60 for a 3-course meal including wine, tax, and tips. I think these cheaper fixed price menus are a great way to sample good food from these great restaurants. I am certainly very happy with the "quality-price" ratio. I would certainly go back again if I have a chance.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Tojo's in Vancouver
I am in Vancouver and visited Tojo's. I went into the restaurant without a reservation, and ended up sitting at the bar which was fine. The service was by the bartender and he was perhaps too busy serving drinks, so the service was perhaps not the best but I asked for it by going without a reservation. That's fine.
I ordered the $110 Omakase. I enjoyed the meal very much and would definitely go again if I had a chance. Now the food:
Tuna tataki: tuna lightly cooked on the outside, with a citrus sauce. It was quite nice and refreshing, although I prefer tuna completely raw.
Crab salad: a small stack of crab meat on top of julienne cucumber and mung bean noodles. The dressing has citrus in it. The crab meat was very fresh and the citrus dressing brought out the natural sweetness of the crab. Unfortunately my camera was out of focus.
Fried morel stuffed with fish/octopus (?): this is an interesting dish. The morels were stuffed with minced fish (or octopus?) and then deep fried. This was served on top of some leafy greens (looks like Chinese vegetables to me) and bean sprouts. The texture of the stuffing was a little chewy (typical of Japanese minced fish cakes) and gave a nice balance to the morels. Unfortunately, I didn't quite catch what the filling was made of because of the heavy accent of my server.
Deep fried whitefish: one of my favorites of the night. A piece of whitefish was "breaded" with a thin coating of rice and deep fried. The breading ("ricing"?) was more like puffed rice and was very light. This was served on top of sauteed vegetables and mushrooms, and a sauce that was made from dashi and soy sauce. The consistency of the sauce was strange, almost like a half-set jello. I wonder what was used to thicken it.
Smoked sablefish soup: another one of my favorites. The bowl of soup was covered in parchment paper and steamed. Inside was a pretty large piece of smoked sablefish, asparagus, matsutake mushrooms, and a flavorful broth. Sablefish continues to be one of my favorite fish: it has a very delicate texture and the smokiness added to the depth of the broth. This was the first time I have tasted matsutake: it has a woody taste and goes well with the smoked fish.
Lobster hand cone: a hand cone with tempura lobster, asparagus, avocado, and a spicy mayonnaise. It was a little too spicy for my taste, but it was still very good.
Sushi. From top left clockwise, as much as I can remember: scallop, crab, prawn, and salmon wrapped in a very thin egg crepe (Golden Roll), a crab and avocado roll with scallop and herring roes on top (Pacific Northwest Roll), lobster roll with smoked salmon on top (Great Canadian Roll), spicy tuna roll with tuna on top, hamachi nigiri, sweet shrimp nigiri, tuna tataki nigiri. Everything was fresh and tasted very good. My only complaint was the duplication of tuna tataki from the first course.
Dessert: vanilla ice cream and red bean sauce. Typical Japanese flavors, and the vanilla ice cream was very nice and smooth. There were some gold flakes on top but they do not really contribute much to the dish, in my opinion.
Overall, I think this was a very nice meal. The price is perhaps slightly less than other restaurants that offer a tasting menu. I think it's a good deal. I wonder what the $60 and $80 Omakase will get you.
I ordered the $110 Omakase. I enjoyed the meal very much and would definitely go again if I had a chance. Now the food:
Tuna tataki: tuna lightly cooked on the outside, with a citrus sauce. It was quite nice and refreshing, although I prefer tuna completely raw.
Crab salad: a small stack of crab meat on top of julienne cucumber and mung bean noodles. The dressing has citrus in it. The crab meat was very fresh and the citrus dressing brought out the natural sweetness of the crab. Unfortunately my camera was out of focus.
Fried morel stuffed with fish/octopus (?): this is an interesting dish. The morels were stuffed with minced fish (or octopus?) and then deep fried. This was served on top of some leafy greens (looks like Chinese vegetables to me) and bean sprouts. The texture of the stuffing was a little chewy (typical of Japanese minced fish cakes) and gave a nice balance to the morels. Unfortunately, I didn't quite catch what the filling was made of because of the heavy accent of my server.
Deep fried whitefish: one of my favorites of the night. A piece of whitefish was "breaded" with a thin coating of rice and deep fried. The breading ("ricing"?) was more like puffed rice and was very light. This was served on top of sauteed vegetables and mushrooms, and a sauce that was made from dashi and soy sauce. The consistency of the sauce was strange, almost like a half-set jello. I wonder what was used to thicken it.
Smoked sablefish soup: another one of my favorites. The bowl of soup was covered in parchment paper and steamed. Inside was a pretty large piece of smoked sablefish, asparagus, matsutake mushrooms, and a flavorful broth. Sablefish continues to be one of my favorite fish: it has a very delicate texture and the smokiness added to the depth of the broth. This was the first time I have tasted matsutake: it has a woody taste and goes well with the smoked fish.
Lobster hand cone: a hand cone with tempura lobster, asparagus, avocado, and a spicy mayonnaise. It was a little too spicy for my taste, but it was still very good.
Sushi. From top left clockwise, as much as I can remember: scallop, crab, prawn, and salmon wrapped in a very thin egg crepe (Golden Roll), a crab and avocado roll with scallop and herring roes on top (Pacific Northwest Roll), lobster roll with smoked salmon on top (Great Canadian Roll), spicy tuna roll with tuna on top, hamachi nigiri, sweet shrimp nigiri, tuna tataki nigiri. Everything was fresh and tasted very good. My only complaint was the duplication of tuna tataki from the first course.
Dessert: vanilla ice cream and red bean sauce. Typical Japanese flavors, and the vanilla ice cream was very nice and smooth. There were some gold flakes on top but they do not really contribute much to the dish, in my opinion.
Overall, I think this was a very nice meal. The price is perhaps slightly less than other restaurants that offer a tasting menu. I think it's a good deal. I wonder what the $60 and $80 Omakase will get you.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
My First Cake
I made my first cake for a very special birthday...it's a chocolate truffle cake. It turned out quite nicely, actually. Except that it was a bit tilted. The individual layers were a little bit "domed" in the centre, and I forgot that stacking layers that are not flat will not result in a completely straight cake. But it was a minor problem.
There were 3 layers of chocolate cake, with a chocolate truffle filling in between. This is topped by a ganache with some more decoration with chocolate truffle mixture. I did not do the decoration...the birthday girl did that herself. But I did the writing. :)
There were 3 layers of chocolate cake, with a chocolate truffle filling in between. This is topped by a ganache with some more decoration with chocolate truffle mixture. I did not do the decoration...the birthday girl did that herself. But I did the writing. :)
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Lots of food experiments
It's a while since another update, but I have done quite a few experiments:
Mole Verde: pumpkin seeds, tomatillo, cilantro, and other spices. It was served with chicken breast and rice. It was my first time making Mexican food and it was actually very good. It's from Rick Bayless' "Authentic Mexican" book.
Eggplant with garlic sauce: a Chinese sweet and sour eggplant dish that has a nice balance between sweet, sour, and spiciness. I did use the restaurant "passing through" technique for the eggplant: briefly deep-frying the eggplant before finishing it with the sauce in a wok. It worked very well.
Salted cod fritters, tomato confit, and fried sage: salted cod was mixed with mashed baked potatoes, a generous amount of olive oil, and paprika. They are made into balls and deep-fried in a beer batter. The tomato confit were dried in a low oven for 6 hours with thyme, salt, pepper, and olive oil. This is topped with a piece of fried sage. Unfortunately the balls were too large and I can only serve two. It would be better to serve three so it doesn't look like certain body parts on the plate...but the fritters were fantastic, especially when paired with the tomatoes. The recipe is from Thomas Keller's Bouchon cookbook.
Braised beef ribs in a red wine sauce, parsnip puree: pretty classic recipe, apart from the fact that I decided to try pureeing the mirepox instead of keeping that whole (chopped). I think that adds more flavor to the sauce. The sauce is strained, reduced, and thickened with cornstarch. The parnsip puree provided a nice sweetness to cut the acidity of the sauce.
Lemongrass creme brulee: despite some initial skepticisms, this actually turned out quite well. The fresh lemongrass somehow did not provide enough flavor, so I added some preserved lemongrass that comes in the "toothpaste tubes" that you can get in grocery stores. It worked out pretty well: the lemongrass flavor actually makes the creme brulee feel "lighter" even if it is quite a high calories dessert.
Mole Verde: pumpkin seeds, tomatillo, cilantro, and other spices. It was served with chicken breast and rice. It was my first time making Mexican food and it was actually very good. It's from Rick Bayless' "Authentic Mexican" book.
Eggplant with garlic sauce: a Chinese sweet and sour eggplant dish that has a nice balance between sweet, sour, and spiciness. I did use the restaurant "passing through" technique for the eggplant: briefly deep-frying the eggplant before finishing it with the sauce in a wok. It worked very well.
Salted cod fritters, tomato confit, and fried sage: salted cod was mixed with mashed baked potatoes, a generous amount of olive oil, and paprika. They are made into balls and deep-fried in a beer batter. The tomato confit were dried in a low oven for 6 hours with thyme, salt, pepper, and olive oil. This is topped with a piece of fried sage. Unfortunately the balls were too large and I can only serve two. It would be better to serve three so it doesn't look like certain body parts on the plate...but the fritters were fantastic, especially when paired with the tomatoes. The recipe is from Thomas Keller's Bouchon cookbook.
Braised beef ribs in a red wine sauce, parsnip puree: pretty classic recipe, apart from the fact that I decided to try pureeing the mirepox instead of keeping that whole (chopped). I think that adds more flavor to the sauce. The sauce is strained, reduced, and thickened with cornstarch. The parnsip puree provided a nice sweetness to cut the acidity of the sauce.
Lemongrass creme brulee: despite some initial skepticisms, this actually turned out quite well. The fresh lemongrass somehow did not provide enough flavor, so I added some preserved lemongrass that comes in the "toothpaste tubes" that you can get in grocery stores. It worked out pretty well: the lemongrass flavor actually makes the creme brulee feel "lighter" even if it is quite a high calories dessert.
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