Minnie Eat World

Thursday, Dec. 3: Get Your Brazil on! with Slow Food Boston

2009-12-02T12:55:00.000-08:00

Brazilian Cocktail Party, Part 1 This December Slow Food Boston is kicking off a series exploring the food traditions of local immigrant groups. First stop: Brazil! Nazare and Washington—two of the volunteer cooks for our upcoming festa—and I are here at Casa de Carnes Solução, a Brazilian butcher shop on Bow St. in Somerville. We're shopping for the ingredients for pão de queijo, rolls made from manioc and cheese from Minas Gerais, region of origin for most of Massachusetts' estimated 75,000 to 230,000 Brazilians. Let's take a look inside!

Brazilian Event Promo Shopping from Slow Food - Boston on Vimeo.

We hope you'll come by on December 3rd for a frosty caipirinha, piping hot cheese rolls and 7 other delicious appetizers prepared by the Brazilian staff of the Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers (MAPS), our host and partner for the event. Proceeds will be donated to their AIDS/HIV Prevention & Education Program. Brazilian Cocktail Party Thursday, December 3rd, 6:30-9:30 pm Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers 1046 Cambridge Street Tickets $20; reserve them here.
Next up: a Vietnamese picnic in spring 2010.
Anastacia Marx de Salcedo, Slow Food Boston

The Rules of Turkey Engagement

2009-11-23T22:33:00.000-08:00

I am feeling the joyous Thanksgiving buzz all around me. The grocery stores are jammed with people, casual conversation inevitably turns into discussions of where to get a good deal on turkey, and more importantly how to cook that darn bird. What a great holiday, all centered around cooking, eating, and being with people you love. Because so many of you want to know, here are my rules for Turkey engagement:

1. Do not be afraid. Embrace the challenge and put all the love you have into your turkey, there's no one way to turkey. Turkey IS the way.

2. To brine or not to brine. This is a hot debate in around Thanksgiving. Soaking your turkey in a mixture of salt, water, herbs & seasonings is intended to give you a juicier bird. I will brine this year, since I am already devoting myself to 2 days of cooking, so why not? But don't get all worked up about brining, just throw in some extras that you already have around for your other dishes.

* 1 cup kosher salt
* 1/2 cup light brown sugar or regular sugar
* 2 gallon water or vegetable stock
* 1 tablespoon black peppercorns

Feel free to throw in some lemon, orange peels, fresh sprigs of thyme, parsley, a bay leaf, a little beer, white wine, maple syrup, whatever floats your boat. Place your defrosted turkey breast down in the brine for 8-16 hours. Weigh down if necessary. Flip bird halfway through brining. Keep in refrigerator or a cool area of your kitchen.

3. Don't play guessing games. Buy a thermometer and stick it in the widest section of the breast, it should read between 161-165 degrees, and in the joint between the thigh (without touching the bone), it should be 180 degrees. The juice should run clear. If you can help it don't poke it too much, or the juices will escape.

4. Keep it simple. I'm doing my turkey with a simple butter and herb mixture from Saveur's recipe.

Pat your turkey dry with paper towels. Season turkey all over and inside the cavity with salt and pepper.

Combine the following:
12 Tbsp UNSALTED butter, softened
2 TBSP finely chopped sage & thyme
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp light brown sugar

Rub the herb butter mixture all over your turkey, and under the skin, where the breast is, like Julia Child. Save some butter mixture to melt for basting.

Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees. Set turkey on roasting pan with rack on the lowest part of your oven. Pour 2 cups of water in the bottom of your roasting pan and roast bird for 30 minutes, baste with butter once. Then reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bast occasionally until your temperature reaches the guidelines listed above. Cover loosely with foil and let it sit for 15-30 minutes before carving.

5. We love stuffing, but not in the bird. Make your stuffing separately from the turkey. I know it's called stuffing -or dressing if you're in the south- but it will just mess up your bird, because by the time the stuffing is cooked your bird will be dry and overcooked, or worse, you could give yourself food poisoning.

Instead fill your turkey cavity with this mixture:

1 medium carrot, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped,
1 rib celery, chopped
orange or lemon slices, some leftover sprigs of fresh herbs

****Here is a great stuffing/"dressing" recipe from Food Network's Tyler Florence with sausage and chestnuts!

6. What to drink? The herbs and butter in this turkey will be great with a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

7. I'm from New England, so you got to have FRESH cranberries. Here's an easy, refreshing cranberry sauce:

1 seedless orange
1 12 oz. fresh cranberries

pulse in food processor, add 3/4- 1 cup sugar according to your taste, some thyme if you have it.

Makes 2.5 cups

8. Have a wonderful, joyous, food coma-inducing Thanksgiving! I hope you have many things to be thankful for!

Free Asian Street Food Cooking Demo at Surfas!

2009-10-07T09:28:00.000-07:00

Saturday, October 10, 12-1 PM @ Surfas Chef's Warehouse

Asian Street Foods with Chef Minnie Luong

Do you crave colorful bites bursting with big Asian flavors? Join Chef Minnie at Surfas for a FREE cooking demo and learn the secrets to creating fiery Korean BBQ tacos, fresh Vietnamese spring rolls, and fragrant lemongrass chicken Banh Mi sandwiches. It’s so easy you can do it at home, in a truck, or on the street.

Street Cred:

Minnie Luong, a private chef, food writer, and cooking teacher, grew up eating in the bustling streets of Boston’s Chinatown. She has cooked in professional kitchens, high profile private homes, and for large scale catering events. She is the author of a popular food blog called, MinnieEatWorld.Com and the editor of Hungry? Boston: the Lowdown on Where the Real People Eat, a restaurant guidebook featuring local eats from secret food trucks, to historic diners and hole-in-the-wall Mom and Pop joints. Her work has been published in The Boston Globe, Where to Eat Magazine, The Somerville News, Boston’s Weekly Dig, and Swindle Magazine.

Top Chef Fabio Sighting!

2009-08-27T16:36:00.000-07:00

LA is the limitless land of celebrity sightings. I could indulge you on some of the very ordinary celebs I've come across, but that would be boring. I get more of a kick out of cooking for these illustrious stars and yes, I can say I've made food that has touched the lips of Brad and Angelina.

But when I ran into Fabio Viviani, of last season's Top Chef, I transformed into an aggressive picture taking seeker, and he was gracious enough to pose with my bulging eyes. Fabio even offered me a job, cooking at his Cafe Firenzi restaurant, which I think it was nice gesture, but all I really wanted was this picture.

So there you have it, my Top Chef geek moment.

A Quick Bite of Heaven

2009-08-21T12:14:00.003-07:00

Some vegetables, such as portabello mushrooms, can have a meaty quality to them. For me a dense, juicy, slice of a summer ripened heirloom tomato is the kobe beef of vegetables. From the corner of your eye they even resemble a rare piece of steak or tuna, but without the price tag.

So, when all I had in the kitchen was an heirloom tomato, a garlic clove, a basil plant, and a half a baguette, I did not despair, because it was exactly enough to create a light, but soul satisfying lunch.

Recipe:

1. Slice a garlic clove in half lengthwise and rub on an oven warmed baguette.
2. Drizzle with olive oil.
3. Place a slice of your tomato on top. Season with salt & pepper; drizzle more olive oil.
4. Garnish with torn basil leaves.

If this takes you more than 5 minutes to make, you're over thinking it.

Tips on Heirloom Tomatoes:

1. I recently got a a variety box at Trader Joe's for only 5 bucks!
2. Fry the green ones in a bread crumb mixture (see my post on Fried Green tomatoes)
3. Grill think slices to get a nice smoky, carmelized taste.
4. NEVER refrigerate your tomatoes, unless you like them mealy. Think MEATY not MEALY.
5. Don't be afraid to salt them; as with meat, salt is what brings out their flavor.
6. Slice them horizontally so you can "oooh" &"aaah" over their beautiful Persian rug-like patterns.

Edible Gifts

2009-08-02T14:43:00.004-07:00

Some friends actually invited me over for dinner, and I'm really excited to try someone else's cooking for a change. Of course it has been drilled into my head since an early age never to show up empty handed, so I'm bringing this cute edible arrangement over as a hostess gift. I found these chilies at my favorite Asian farmer at the Brentwood farmer's market, and added some fragrant Thai Basil leaves to complete this incredible, edible bouquet. If you have a nice herb garden consider plucking some herbs as a nice hostess gift, or bring some of your surplus zucchini. Good cooks love fresh veggies, and it is a nice simple gesture that will set a tone of goodwill and friendship.

10 Tips to Becoming a Better Cook Right Now!

2009-08-01T11:21:00.003-07:00

1. Look at several different recipes for a dish, and choose the simplest one. I use recipes to understand the architecture of a dish, then modify it to my own tastes, and the different ingredients that I have in my pantry. For example if something calls for sherry vinegar, I know I can also use red wine vinegar that I have in my cupboard instead of running out to buy sherry vinegar.

2. Learn how to sharpen your knives. Cooking is no fun when you are hacking away at something with a dull blade. Once you learn how to create a nice sharp edge, you'll be halfway there to improving your knife skills.

3. Use Youtube to learn technique. Sometimes it's easier to see how to do something than to read about it in a cook book. I found a great new way to clean lamb ribs using a piece of string.

4. Use your senses. Get acquainted with your sense of taste, smell, touch, and sight. Be sure to taste everything as you are going along. For example, when making a salad dressing, mix together the acid and seasonings and taste them. If your taste buds feel good only then add your oil. If not, you can always adjust it, before adding oil. I often forego a kitchen timer and know that when the entire kitchen smells like chocolate chip cookies, it means that their close to being done. Learn how to tell when meat is cooked by touching it. Use your eyes to create visually appealing presentations, using a prism of different colors. If it looks like you put too much of one ingredient in a dish, you probably did.

5. Avoid overworking your food. Alot of people make the mistake of flipping or stirring their food too much, thinking that they are really cooking now. You need to let the food make contact with heat in order to cook it, and if you move it around too much it will not cook evenly.

6. My friend says that the best meals I make are what we call "refrigerator dishes." That's when I limit myself to cooking with only the ingredients I already have. This is great way to hone your innate creativity and spontaneity and to use up any leftovers you have. Leftover roasted vegetables and the last piece of cheese can be added to lettuce for an exciting new salad. Just about anything can be transformed into exciting crepes, soups, spring rolls, pizzas, fried rice and dumplings. Fried eggs and sriracha are great on top of almost anything!

7. Don't be afraid to mess up. Chances are you won't mess up as much as you think you will. I'm a believer that the only way to truly learn to cook is to make mistakes and learn from them.

8. Take pictures of your dishes. Alright, my dining companions may get a little annoyed when I turn every meal into a photo shoot, but after visually cataloging all the meals I've made I get a sense of accomplishment when I see what I've created. It is also a great reference for what I did right and wrong, and helps jog my memory when I'm trying to improve upon the dish many months later.

9. Your freezer is your friend. Freeze garlic and ginger paste, or chopped herbs that can be used in a pinch for soups, stir fries, Indian food, sauces, salad dressings, marinades, and pasta sauces. I keep hard to find ingredients like kaffir lime leaves, chilies, and fresh tumeric in the freezer for times when I want to add some Asian flavor to a dish. Other items I always have in the freezer are butter, chicken stock, peas, which are great for throwing into rice, pasta dishes, and paella, miso, pita bread, red curry paste.

10. Keep fresh herbs around at all times. At the Vietnamese table you will find a beautiful plate arranged with fresh, fragrant herbs to be used like condiments at almost all times. I keep a "vase" of fresh herbs in my fridge at all times, to add aroma, color, and flavor without adding alot of calories. If you don't use them up by the end of the week you can always make your own pesto and freeze it for later.

A Laid Back Friday Night

2009-07-31T20:58:00.005-07:00

It's Friday night, so that means it's date night. After a day of re-arranging furniture in our postage-stamp-paradise by the sea, I feel like enjoying the pleasure of a tasty meal without messing up the kitchen. So, I decided to make a Margherita pizza, paired with a tasty arugula salad with prosciutto, toasted pine nuts, parmesan and truffle vinaigrette. It turned out to be a simple and satisfying dinner!

Arugula, Prosciutto, Pine Nut Salad with Truffle Vinaigrette:

The rich aroma of truffle vinaigrette goes well with the spicy kick of arugula, and the nutty pignolias, and of course the salty, creamy Prosciutto. I could eat this salad as a main course!

Salad:

Arugula
Shredded red cabbage (for color & crunch!)
Good Prosciutto sliced thin
Parmesan cheese, shredded
Pine nuts

Truffle Vinaigrette:

1 Tablespoon minced shallots
1 Tablespoon white truffle oil
2 Teaspoon of dijon mustard
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
4 Tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Whisk together all ingredients in a bowl except for olive oil. Add olive oil in a thin stream while whisking to emulsify the vinaigrette. Set aside to let the flavors meld.

2. Toast the pine nuts in a pan until golden and the kitchen smells of pine nuts.

3. Toss the arugula and red cabbage with the truffle vinaigrette, adding salt & pepper to season. Artfully arrange the prosciutto slices on a bed of the arugula, garnish with parmesan and pine nuts.

Margherita Pizza:

1 Trader Joe's pizza dough (I used the herb one)
1 Trader Joe's Pizza Sauce, or 1.5 cups of homemade sauce, or another brand.
1 heirloom tomato, sliced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup shredded lite mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
fresh torn basil leaves
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
flour to work the dough

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

2. Slice tomatoes and mix in a bowl with garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Set aside to let flavors meld.

3. Dust your hands with flour like an Olympic athlete. Dust work surface to kneed the pizza dough to get rid of any air bubbles.

4. I like to use a rectangular cookie sheet with a silicone mat for my pizza, you can use a round pan if you have it. Lightly coat the bottom of your pizza pan with olive oil. Shape dough, by sliding your two closed fists under the edge of the dough, using gravity to your advantage. You will improve this technique with practice. Once you have an even thin shape, transfer the dough to your pan. You can patch up holes, and work the dough in the pan to even out the shape, but don't over work the dough too much.

3. Using a silicone pastry brush, spread the tomato sauce evenly on the pizza, reserving a 1/2 inch border for the crust.

4. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese first; then the parmesan all over the sauce.

5. Artfully place the fresh tomatoes on top of the cheese, and spoon the reserved garlic & tomato juices right on top of the tomatoes.

6. Spread the torn basil leaves on the pizza. I keep a basil plant on my window sill so I'll always have fresh basil. Brush the crust with olive oil.

7. Bake in the oven until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

8. If you are using a silicone mat, DO NOT use a pizza cutter or knife to cut the pizza. My favorite technique for cutting pizza is to use a clean pair of kitchen scissors. Just snip your way to easy pizza slices!

Look into the whites of their eyes

2009-04-24T11:21:00.006-07:00

Meet my new friends-- the Dorade fish, a Mediterranean sea bream that has a nice, delicate texture and flavor that pairs well with just about anyything. I came upon it accidentally, when I was looking for the Bronzino, a similar, highly coveted Mediterranean fish, that is sold at the new seafood emporium at Santa Monica Seafood.

Grilled whole Dorade with bacon, sage, roasted garlic sauce.

A whole fresh fish is best when prepared simply; enjoyed most with intimate friends who take pleasure in making sport out of picking away at the sweet flesh around the bones.

Bacon, Roasted Sage and Garlic Sauce:

To make bacon, sage, garlic sauce:

In a ramekin or oven safe dish combine whole garlic loves, whole sage leaves, and EVOO.

Roast in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until the entire kitchen smells like garlic and sage.

Chop bacon into 1 inch pieces and render the fat, until the bacon starts to become crispy. Pour off about half the bacon fat and add some chopped shallots. When the shallots become soft, and the kitchen smells amazing, add the roasted garlic and sage, and a few tablespoons of the sage garlic oil, reserving the rest to brush onto the fish. Before turning off the heat hit your bacon, sage, garlic sauce with a squeeze of lemon (preferably Meyer lemon), chopped parsley and coarse ground pepper, and salt if needed.

Grilling the Fish:

Rinse fish and pat dry.

Brush with roasted garlic and sage oil

Season with salt and pepper (not too much salt as the bacon sauce is already salty)

Grill on each side for about 3 minutes

Top the fish with bacon, roasted garlic & sage sauce.

Game Over

2009-04-24T11:02:00.004-07:00

Thanks for playing along with me readers, I enjoyed your guesses from fish intestines to roasted slugs. This was a roasted sage and garlic oil that was created for a fun dinner with My friends, Danielle and Teddy, who were visiting from Miami. It filled the entire kitchen up with the most amazing smells. Here's a tip: When you have guests coming for dinner, sizzle your garlic and onions, or roasted some herbs and garlic in the oven so that the whole house smells warm, and enticing.

Can you guess what this is?

2009-04-06T16:55:00.000-07:00

Cult Coffee Alert!

2009-03-17T09:50:00.006-07:00

Don't want to get mixed up in the McDonalds versus Starbucks coffee debate? I don't blame you. Bay area caffeine addicts are hooked on Blue Bottle Coffee, which I discovered at the Berkeley Farmer' s Market a few weeks ago. Their organic beans are roasted in small batches and sold within 48 hours of coming out of the roaster, so you're guaranteed to get a truly fresh cup of java. You can order their Chez Panisse house blend or their popular Bella Donna coffee on their website.

Watching coffee drip is like watching performance art, and the smells will transport you to a warm and happy place!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-02T18:18:00.012-08:00

What a relief! 2009 is finally here and I am hopeful that this will be a fresh start from the ups and downs of the past year. The dismal economy and ongoing wars around the world has been on my mind. Now this year I don't have a resolution but more of a mission statement on how I want to live my life. My goal is to spend my valuable time here on this earth doing the things that I love: reading, writing, cooking, gardening, doing yoga, and spending time connecting with my loved ones. These are the things that make me truly happy and make me feel alive.

In keeping with this spirit, I decided to make my sweetheart a nice dinner for a quiet, restful New Year's Eve. Beside, I was bursting at the seams to try out all my new cooking gear that he got me for Christmas! I'm sure he had this in mind when he picked out my new Global vegetable knife.

I was in the mood for surf n' turf so I decided to make my version of steak au poivre with Maine lobster tail. We got our lobster at the Ranch 99 Asian Market ($12/lb) in Van Nuys, which has a great selection of fresh seafood at reasonable prices.

Two 1.5 lb lobsters were steamed. See my post on How to Kill A Lobster humanely. I stab the nervous system (about 1 inch from eyes) before putting into pot.

To go with the lobster tail I created a jalapeno citron buerre blanc, which is essential a butter and citrus sauce.

I just read a study that said marinating meats for at least an hour reduced the carcinogens by half. These filets were coated in a mixture of fresh rosemary, hand-ground pepper, garlic, olive oil and salt and left to marinate for an hour before hitting the iron hot grill.

Maine Lobster tail with Jalapeno citron buerre blanc, and Minnie's Filet Au Poivre

Trip Notes

2009-01-01T08:08:00.012-08:00

Cambridge/Boston

Just returned from a whirlwind trip back to the East Coast where I had many fun adventures and wonderful family times. In spite of two back-to-back blizzards I did manage to reconnect with some Boston food scenesters like my dear friend Chris Young, and Matthew Curtis, who hosted us for a nice glass of wine by his fireplace. I was most intrigued when he showed us his "cheese cave" packed with brightly colored tins of the cult cheese made by Washington State University. Look out for the new Harvard Square restaurant venture from Curtis and his partners, which will be located in the former Greenhouse space, it's sure to be a highlight of 2009!

I met Chef Rachel Klein, who heads the kitchen at Aura restaurant in the Seaport Hotel. Klein, who was formerly the Chef at Om Lounge in Cambridge, was impressive and I intend on following her career to see where she lands next.

I made it to Vanessa and Rebecca Alssid's house for a lovely dinner by the firelight. I love going to dinner at their house because they always finish a meal with a beautiful cheese plate. We sampled a hulking block of Parmesan Reggiano that was hand delivered from Italy; a decadent truffle cheese; and wonderful cheese from Vermont that I must track down.

Stomach Alert: I have a new favorite breakfast spot called Sofra, in Watertown. Yet another fabulous eatery from the visionaries behind Oleana, my favorite Cambridge restaurant. Get the Turkish Breakfast, which features a soft boiled egg deep fried in crispy fideos alongside an pitch perfect tomato sauce with toasted sesame seeds. It will really challenge the way you think about eggs for breakfast.

Providence

Thanks to Facebook I organized a little mini reunion with friends that date back to elementary, junior high and high school at Temple, a stylish, subterranean bar and lounge located in the Rennaisance Hotel directly across from the Rhode Island state house.

With my family we feasted in our annual Christmas dinner of Thai seafood hotpot. Every year we all look forward to this communal meal, where everyone takes part in filling the lemongrass and kaffir lime scented hotpot with fresh seafood, (some of which my father actually caught off the coast of Rhode Island) fragrant herbs, napa cabbage and water spinach.

Pittsburgh

On to Pittsburgh, where I finally got my fill of good Italian cooking thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Silver's collaborative meatball dinner. Oh how I love a good meatball!

I went to the famous Primanti Brothers for their legendary sandwich filled with french fries, coleslaw and your choice of meat. Too big for my slender jowels, but it's a Pittsburgh institution.

We practically had to fight to get a booth at Fiori's Pizzaria but it was worth the wait. Thick, crusty, and generous with the toppings, Fiori's is the kind of East Coast pie I crave out here in Southern California.

Down to the Strip District where I salivated over the bounty of specialty food shops from the Pennsylvania Macaroni Company, which had huge drums of olive oils, those highly coveted Bella San Marzano canned plum tomatoes, and a cheese counter full of wonderous delights. I made a pit stop to pick up some spices at the Penzeys shop, including, aleppo pepper, Za'atar, a Middle eastern mix of sumac, thyme, sesame, and salt, Tuscan oregano, and an assortment of dried peppers. I like to mix my Za'atar with oregano and sprinkle it on pita bread with olive oil and salt before it goes into a warm oven. An easy and satisfying snack!

We picked up some fresh oysters at Wholey's and though we didn't pack an oyster knife, we somehow managed to pry them open. We taught Nick Silver how to shuck oysters and watched him as he tasted his first bivalve.

I can't believe all of the good eating I've experienced in the last few weeks!

Adventures in Latkes

2008-12-14T18:35:00.005-08:00

I think I must be a Jewish Grandmother trapped in a Vietnamese Buddhist's body. The sound of Yiddish is music to my ears and I have been known to crave chopped liver. But above all else I love making and eating latkes!

I like to make my latkes with a mixture of sweet potatoes and russet potatoes to give it color and more of those good vitamins. Served with light sour cream and applesauce, these latkes make a festive, easy-to-create party treat or snack.

To Make Latkes:

2 large sweet potato, grated by hand or in a food processor
1 large russet or Yukon Gold or Russet potato, grated by hand or in a food processor
1 medium white onion, grated by hand or in a food processor

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup flour
salt
pepper
pinch of cumin
olive oil, for frying

1. Combine all ingredients except oil into a bowl and mix well.
2. Heat frying oil on nonstick pan.
3. Using a 1/8 cup measure spoon mixture into frying pan. Flatten mixture with a spatula to form a small cake.
4. Fry latkes in batches for 2 minutes on each side, or until golden.
5. Place on paper plates to drain oil, and season with salt if needed.
6. Serves with applesauce and sour cream.

Gifting: Homemade Peppermint Bark

2008-12-14T17:22:00.013-08:00

Peppermint Bark is my holiday eating downfall. During the holidays there are nights that I cannot fall asleep knowing that there is Peppermint Bark in the house. Last Christmas, while I was in the middle of finishing up my book, I caught myself thinking, there's no way that I ate that whole tin of Peppermint Bark. I frantically searched the entire house for the missing bark only to find the final piece hidden in a mountain of papers on my desk. Use your imagination to figure out how happy I was.

Tonight I'm headed to my friend, Chef Erik Fischer's house for a holiday party. I have a rule never to turn down an invitation to a Chef's house, and so far it's served me well. If you want to be popular among chefs and lay-people, do make your own edible holiday gifts, like some of this homemade Peppermint Bark. Be sure to put it in a nice box and present it like the special gift that it is.

To Make Peppermint Bark:

Try to buy the finest chocolate that you can afford. Use chocolate chips or discs to avoid the messy task of having to chop up the hard chocolate bars. I got some Callebut Belgian chocolate discs from Surfas.

1/2 pound of dark chocolate chips

1/2 pound of white chocolate chips

1-2 teaspoons of peppermint extract

1/4 cup crushed candy canes or peppermint candies

nonstick spray

wax paper

1. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray and line with wax paper. Spray more nonstick spray on top of the wax paper. Set aside.
2. In a double boiler melt the dark chocolate until the chocolate comes off your spatula in a nice stream.
3. Pour dark chocolate onto cookie sheet, using your spatula to spread a thin, even layer.
4. Rest the melted dark chocolate in the freezer for 5 minutes.
5. In a double boiler melt the white chocolate and peppermint extract. Take out the frozen dark chocolate sheet.
6. Pour white chocolate on top of the frozen dark chocolate, gently spreading into a thin, even, coat.
7. Sprinkle crush candy canes all evenly over the top of the melted white chocolate and freeze.
8. When the bark is completely frozen, remove from the freezer and remove the wax paper.
9. Using a sharp, knife, cut the bark into chunks.
10. Place the bark into a nice box, tin, or cello candy bag.

Welcome to Jamrock... and my blog!

2007-02-23T11:15:00.000-08:00

I spent New Year's in Jamaica again this year and discovered some new inspiration from the local Jamaican cuisine. This year in Negril, I got a chance to cook an authentic Jamaican meal with Donovan, a Rasta friend who lives on the beach. We made sorrel, a drink that Jamaicans make for Christmas, and a fabulous anti-oxidant rich hangover cure; callaloo, a vitamin packed green sometimes called Jamaican spinach; and ackee, which paired with salted fish, is the Jamaican national dish.

Sorrel, a relative of hibiscus, is made from the spiky dried flowers of the sorrel bush. To make sorrel: Pour boiling water over 2 cups of dried sorrel flowers and let it sit for an hour. The liquid will become bright magenta. Add fresh grated ginger, cane sugar, and overproof rum if you want to give it some extra kick. Pour it over ice and its ready to drink. Donovan made us an extra bottle which we smuggled home with us. I found a great website that sells dried sorrel on line here.

To make callaloo you peel the thick stems and chop them up with its leafy greens. It can be cooked in a covered pot with water, or fresh grated coconut to give it some richness. A little bit of canned coconut milk will work well if you don't have the time to grate coconut. If you're lucky you can find fresh callaloo from your local farmer's market. I get my callaloo from a charismatic Jamaican farmer at the Central Square farmer's market on Mondays when the Market is in season.

Ackee is poisonous if it is not processed correctly and can lead to "Jamaican vomiting sickness." The only edible part is the yellow around its shiny black seed. Ackee has the consistency of scrambled eggs when it is cooked. Outside of Jamaica you can get canned ackee, but I prefer to enjoy it it as breakfast on the island mixed with scrambled eggs.

Jackfruit in a Bag

2007-02-27T08:03:00.000-08:00

My favorite vacation souvenirs involve unusual food in attractive packaging, preferrably smuggled in someone's underpants. Afterall, tchochktes take up too much space in my overstuffed apartment. My parents just gifted me these amazing jackfruit chips from their trip to Vietnam. This crunchy snack resembles a milder banana chip with a touch of mineral salt. Bonus points to the 'rents because these chips are made naturally with no added chemicals.

In my research on jackfruit chips I discovered a whole community devoted to chips and snack foods at taquitos.net, who's mantra, "Serious about Snacks," I find truly compelling.

Canned Jackfruit in sweet syrup can be found at major Asian grocery stores. In the Boston area, I get them at the Super 88 market.

Facts about Jackfruit:

It is the largest tree borne fruit in the world, weighing up to 80 lbs.
It is believed to be indigenous to the Malay Penisula and India.
It is related to the mulberry, fig, and breadfruit families
Some say that it is the basis for the flavor of Juicy Fruit chewing gum.

Excited about Farm Shares

2007-03-11T08:24:00.000-07:00

This morning the clocks sprung forward, and naturally today I am thinking about signing up for a farm share. Technically known as a CSA--community supported agriculture-- farm shares are a great way to get the freshest, locally grown at a price and value that beats Whole Foods any day.

I became attracted to the idea of farm shares last year when an acquaintance offered me her share while she was on vacation. It was from The Farm School in Athol, Massachusetts. I picked up a box of freshly picked produce from their local drop off at Iggy's Bread in Cambridge on a Tuesday afternoon. I got a selection of organic produce including: strawberries, to onions, fresh basil, chervil, & dill, fennel, garlic chives, red lettuce, purple potatoes, and sweet tomatoes. It also came with a charming newsletter with recipes and anecdotes about the farm. I loved the surprise of not knowing what kind of produce you're going to get each week, and planning delicious and healthful menu that pushes me out of my creative comfort zone.

The cost of the farm share is around $600 for 20 weeks staring in June through the Fall, and can be paid in installments. That equals about $30 a week for a generous box of local, organic produce, which is ample for a family of two. Better still, the proceeds from the CSAs go towards supporting local farms and sustainable agriculture education.

I'd recommend you sign up for one soon, as they are limited and sell out fast due to people signing up year after year. Trust me, once you've tried it you'll be coming back again too. Looking for a farm share in your area? Here is a list of CSAs available across the country.

If you are a single, you could save money by splitting one with a friend. I plan on gifting my farm share to my friends when I am away this summer. What better gift than a box of fresh locally grown produce?

Remembrance of Meals Past

2007-03-15T08:07:00.000-07:00

If you are in my kitchen and you are hungry, I will cook for you. I have cooked hundreds of dinners for friends over the years. It's my favorite thing in the world to do.

One recent memorable dinner was the going away party for our charismatic friend Ersan, who is a now a nurse in South Carolina. Ambitiously, I decided to make rock shrimp tempura with red pepper aioli, a recipe from our favorite restaurant, Uni; and two farmhouse cheese souffles that I saw on Barefoot Contesssa. I modified the recipe to use farmhouse cheese instead of blue cheese.

Nights like these I remember to honor the convergence of good food, great friends cooking together in my kitchen.

Pizza! Pizza!

2007-03-19T09:14:00.000-07:00

Making your own pizza is fun, easy, and a delicious way to use up those leftovers in your fridge. I made pissalediere, a French style pizza a popular street snack in Nice.

And also our version of the "Unsafe and Unsound" pizza inspired by Veggie Planet in Harvard Square. Incidentally, I used to work under Chef Didi Emmons, who once owned Veggie Planet, and is the author of the vegetarian cookbook bible, Vegetarian Planet.

To make pizza first you must consider the dough. Instead of making my own, I choose to buy dough from the grocery store. You can find it usually in the frozen section of Whole Foods, or refrigerated at Trader Joe's for around $1.50 each. Stock up, and leave it in your freezer until that night when you are suddenly compelled to make pizza.

While your dough is defrosting, get your ingredients together:

Pissalediere

1 jar of good anchovies in olive oil ( I like Spanish anchovies)

2 onions, sliced

sweet grape tomatoes

1 clove of garlic

nicoise olives, pitted and sliced in half, the long way

grate parmesan, or fontina cheese

chopped fresh thyme

salt & pepper

olive oil

Carmelized Onions:
Heat pan on stove top on med-high. Add 2 tbs olive oil. When pan is sizzling add sliced onions. Let them sit until they become browned about 4 minutes. Brown the other side. When brown on both sides add a tsp of sugar, and a 1/4 cup of water. When the water is cooked off take off the heat and let it sit. Voila, Carmelized onions!

Garlic Tomatoes:
Slice grape tomatoes in half and place in a bowl. Add 1 pressed garlic clove, stir in a dash of olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Using a rolling pin with a bit of flour to prevent sticking, roll your pizza dough out. Thin out your dough a Let the dough in a gravitational pull for a few seconds before placing on the well oiled cookie sheet. It's okay if it doesn't look perfect--these pizza's are meant to look rustic and homemade.

Using a pastry brush, or your fingers, coat the dough with olive oil. Evenly spread ingredients on the crust in this order:
Cheese, caramelized onions, olives, and fresh thyme, anchovies, and tomatoes.

Bake in oven for 25 minutes, or until crispy.

For Unsafe Unsound Pizza:

Fresh chopped Thai basil

Garlicky Spinach (Saute spinach in olive oil and fresh chopped garlic for a few minutes until wilted)

Chopped Garlic

Fresh Asiago or Fontina Cheese, grated

Garlicky tomatoes

Sriracha hot Sauce

Rub the dough with chopped garlic. Then add: cheese, garlicky spinach, Thai Basil, and garlicky tomatoes. After the pizza is done baking, add sriracha hot sauce in decorative pattern on pizza.

Defrosting Dough:
More likely than not your pizza dough will be in some state of frozenness. The best thing to do is to leave it out on the counter until it defrosts. For me usually, life doesn't leave enough time between the hunger pangs in my stomach and the time it takes to defrost the dough, so I very carefully microwave the dough in a dish for 2-3 minutes on the defrost setting and then let if sit for 5 minutes. It's not scientific at all. Just go slow on the heat and don't cook your dough in the microwave.

Pizza Stones:
If you have a bulky pizza stone that was gifted to you five years ago then stick it in the oven at 350 degrees while your dough is defrosting. I had a pizza stone, but recently got rid of it because there was not place to store it in my tiny apartment. Fortunately I discovered that a well oiled cookie sheet worked just as well, and allowed me to create a rectangular shaped pizza that was more reminiscent to me of French street food than of your local Italian pie.

Whole Wheat Crusts:
Veggie Planet uses a special organic whole wheat crust, which is more filling than regular white crust. Other neighborhood pizza places like, Beauty's Pizza, also offers whole wheat crust.

Cutting the Pizza: You don't need a pizza cutter to clutter your gadget drawer. Just use a pair of clean scissors to get those perfect pizza slices.

Spicegirl nominated for James Beard Award

2007-03-21T22:16:00.000-07:00

The James Beard Foundation has announced the 2007 nominees for its prestigious annual award. Winners will be announced at an Awards gala on May 7 th. Tickets are available here.

Among the Boston based nominees are:

Ana Sortun, Chef/owner of Oleana in Cambridge for her first cookbook, entitled "Spice."

I guess James Beard was into French food this year because Michael Leviton, of Lumiere, Marc Orfaly from Pigalle, and Frank McClelland of L'Espalier are all competing for the title of Best Chef Northeast.

Winners will be announced at an Awards gala on May 7 th. Tickets are available here.

A complete list of nominees is available here.

Restaurant Review: Pierrot Bistrot

2007-03-31T16:01:00.000-07:00

Immediately we were greeted by an attractive young French woman who warmly invited us into the restaurant. At 8 PM on a snowy Monday night she showed us to a cozy table on a banquet in the middle of the room. I was relieved that on a slower night she didn't try to put us in some weird Siberic outpost when the room had plenty of seats, which is a pet peeve of mine. With its simple white table clothes and bistro chairs, and strains of music I felt like I was in an authentic French bistro. It seems as if clown faces were the official mascot with unnerving clown masks decorated every bare space on the walls an don their website.

We were cheerfully greeted by a waitress tidily attired in a crisp white shirt, long white bistro apron, and black vest, which leant an air of chic authority. She immediately notified us that they were out of the rabbit.

A bus boy attentively kept us in water and bread all night. The bread was crusty, but not the kind that you ask for second helpings of.

The menu is long, especially with the addition of a page of specials, and a $30 three course prixe fix option. Luckily the waitress was able to guide me through my choices. My companion chose the prixe fix selection.

Appetizers:

The Chopped Endive, Walnut & Beet salad-- had good, clean flavors*, but I instantly lost interest when the Foie Gras with Apricots & Brioche arrived. The portion was sizable, and recalled to mind the New Year's Eve in Paris that through mistranslation I ordered three digits worth of this kind of foie gras. As a result, I couldn't bring myself to eat foie gras for an entire winter. Next came Steak Tartare with Rye. My date and I can never pass up steak tartare when it's on a menu. Our favorite is at Barbaras Lynch's restaurant The Butcher Sho p, and comes with brioche at a big price tag and tiny portions. But it's so flavorful that you don't need a huge portion. Steak tartare begs for a libation, and at a more moderate price you can enjoy a glass of bubbly and very good version at Eastern Standard.

Pierrot's spicy version tasted earthy paired with the off sour taste of the rye, perfect for a thinking woman. It stood up well to its competition.

I'm a freak for condiments, and the House Pate with accompaniments was ample with them.

A picture of me in Paris, 2004

Dinner:
My companion ordered traditional Veal Blanquette upon a third party recommendation. He enjoyed it. I thought my career as an elite food writer was dead in the water when it was revealed that I don't care much for pork loins and veal. Andrew Zimmern on the Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods show with gave me hope when he ate duck fetus in the Philippines. I've enjoyed a few in my time. At any rate, he said he would not think less of his friend for recommending the Veal.

My entree, Duck L'Orange, contained a seared duck breast and a confit leg covered with a caramel tasting orange glaze. I ignored the breast, but the confit was rich, crispy & soft and went well with the orange flavor.

Dessert:
Since I have been on a souffle kick we wanted a chocolate souffle for dessert, the kind you order at the beginning of your meal. Unfortunately there was a minimum of two orders. I don't like to put all of my eggs in one basket when it comes to dessert, so we chose Lavender Creme Brulee and the Cheese Plate. Our server brought over a dessert tray showcasing their wares attractively. The creme brulee only had a faint trace of lavender, and was chewy where it should be crackling crispy, and soupy where it should be smooth. I regretted the chocolate souffles immediately.

The cheese plate, on the other hand, was hand cut and simply assembled onto a plate with nuts and a balsamic glaze. The cheese was divine.

Last Looks:

Wedged between the little lamp and a cartoonish potted succulent plant was the comment card adorned with a clown. The dining experience compelled me to sign up for their e-mail list and reveal my birthdate. The food and atmosphere at Pierrot Bistrot warranted an invitation to keep in touch.

An Ode to Mint

2007-04-06T11:39:00.000-07:00

You know when you spend $3 for fresh herbs and you only use a tiny bit and the rest goes to waste? I hate that. That never happens in our house when it comes to using mint.

You can do so much with fresh mint, so I'm growing it in my kitchen. Mint is known to take over the whole garden, so for my kitchen garden, I put it alone in a terra cotta pot. It like moist soil, shade and sunlight. I'm hoping that pretty soon my mint will flourish so I can make:

Mojitos year round
Green tea with fresh mint (the only way to survive a New England winter)
Cucumber, tomato, feta cheese & mint salads
Mint chutney is a nice foil for spicy and rich dishes, like Indian food
Throw it in a vase or flower arrangement for your table

This got me thinking about all of the "essentials" that I keep in my larder to make everyday meals better. I would say that fresh mint and parsley are the most underrated herbs in the kitchen. They both add a nice clean, herbaceousness to dishes. Maybe I will try making a parsley mojito soon. The other thing I can't live without is citrus--it goes in everything from homemade sangria, to lemon garlic aoili, vinaigrettes, grapefruit and fennel salads, and beurre blanc sauces. I could make a meal out of just parsley and lemon, I swear.

Phu Quoc Fish Sauce & Cognac

2007-04-24T17:07:00.000-07:00

If you're eating Vietnamese food, then you're probably eating fish sauce in some form or other. Fish sauce, along with sweet and spicy Sriracha sauce (also known as "rooster" sauce for the rooster illustration on the label), make up the "salt and pepper" in traditional Vietnamese cooking.

Fish sauce is a condiment made from fermented fish,such as anchovies, which has been made in Vietnam for centuries. To many it has a distinctly pungent odor, but to the Vietnamese it is an essential part of their national identity. For example, when Alex first came to dinner at my parent's house for a traditional Vietnamese meal we all anxiously watched him dip his chopsticks into the bowl of Nuoc Mam, which is a dipping sauce made with fish sauce. I think we all collectively sighed with relief when it became apparent that he liked it. No one, of course, told him he was eating fish sauce that day. Many Vietnamese attribute the defeat of the Americans in 1975 to fish sauce, claiming that arms smuggled in barrels of fish sauce with their pungent odor kept them away.

Fish sauce was available in Europe before the war, but with the US embargo Thai producers of fish sauce entered the US and European markets. Phu Quoc is like the Champagne region of fish sauce and its product has been protected from imitation in France since 2002. France's ‘Cognac' name of origin has just been registered in Vietnam resulting from a cooperation program between Vietnam and France regarding the protection of names of origin and combating counterfeit goods with the assistance of the European Union. The Vietnam-France agreement provides for the protection of registered trademarks of Vietnam's Phu Quoc fish sauce and France's Cognac whisky in the two countries. France has also agreed to help Vietnam protect its fish sauce on the EU market.