for the love of all things

the art of flower arranging

2009-04-26T19:25:00.009-05:00

Had fun this morning arranging a bunch of pink ranunculus blooms into bud vases. It's harder than it looks! They are in season right now and I couldn't resist picking up a good-sized bunch while we were grocery shopping Central Market this morning. These are not quite as big as the yellow/orange ranunculus I bought at a flower shop in Paris, but quite pretty.

Oh, and the "bud vases" are actually glass yogurt containers. These little jars are so great. I like them for impromptu centerpieces using flowers, herbs, and plant cuttings, especially leaves and berries.

quick note

2009-04-21T18:57:00.003-05:00

I finally added a recipe index to the sidebar on the main page.

Sunday breakfast

2009-04-19T10:42:00.006-05:00

When I woke up this morning, Mark asked an innocent question: "Tea or coffee?"
My answer: "A pot of tea -- but only if you make scones."
My darling husband responded: "Give me a recipe and I'll make whatever you want."
How I love this man!

Cream Scones
from America's Test Kitchen Cookbook

OK, seriously: these scones are pretty close to perfect. The texture is tender and light and moist, light years away from the the leaden specimens you might find sitting in a glass case at Starbucks. Also? Pretty, easy and fast to make. It takes a little skill to cut the butter in, but not much.

I felt a little decadent this morning and served these with loosely whipped cream and Mark's dad's homemade blackberry preserves.

P.S. to Julia: Cut with a biscuit cutter, these would be totally perfect for strawberry shortcake.

2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons chilled, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/2 cup currants (I left these out this time)
1 cup heavy cream

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Heat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Add flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl (or work bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade). Whisk together (or pulse, in food processor, 6 times).

3. If making by hand: use two knives, a pastry blender, or your fingertips and quickly cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few slightly larger butter lumps. Add currants, if using. (If using food processor: remove cover and distribute butter evenly over dry ingredients. Cover and pulse 12 times, each pulse lasting 1 second. Add currants and pulse once more. Transfer dough to a large bowl.)

4. Stir in heavy cream with a rubber spatula or fork until dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.

5. Transfer everything to countertop and knead dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, sticky ball, about 5 to 10 seconds. To form scones: Press the dough into an 8 inch cake pan. Then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, cutting the dough into 8 wedges with either a knife or a bench scraper.

6. Place wedges on ungreased baking sheet. (At this point, I like to sprinkle the tops with a bit of granulated sugar.) Bake until scone tops are lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

cherry blossoms

2009-04-16T19:35:00.004-05:00

Before I get too involved in Paris photos, I had to post these from our weekend in D.C. at the end of March.

While the cherry blossoms were (obviously) incredible, the best part of the weekend was watching our friends, Robin and Ilan, get married. We were honored to be there to share in their day, and we had an amazing time celebrating with them. Mazel tov!

watching spring spring

2009-04-15T21:26:00.008-05:00

I took this photo on our first day in Paris, April 2, at the Place des Vosges:

About a week later, I took this photo in approximately the same place:

So beautiful!

Paris, je t'aime

2009-04-14T21:28:00.012-05:00

Sunday morning stroll through the Marais.

We're back. Jet lagged, a little sick, and possibly buried under a mountain of dirty laundry. But it's ok because we got to go to France in the springtime, when everything was turning green and the flowers were blooming and Paris was at its finest. Super, really. I'll update soon.

One year ago...

2009-03-31T21:57:00.007-05:00

... I married my amazing husband in the presence of our closest family and friends. I am so happy to be married to my dearest Mark, who is the sweetest, most supportive, and loving husband I could ever ask for. Happy anniversary, mon amour! Je t'aime.

And with that, we are off to celebrate our one year wedding anniversary in Paris. I actually still have packing to do... but I'm basically floating on air, ready to celebrate our anniversary in one of our favorite cities in the world. I'm most excited about taking Mark to the Rodin, Picasso, and Monet museums and strolling around the city in search of delicious treats in which we will surely overindulge.

A la prochaine...

My newest lunch obsession

2009-03-03T21:21:00.021-06:00

I'm a big fan of 101 Cookbooks, an excellent vegetarian/vegan cooking blog. Heidi's recipes are super inspiring -- and I also really like that she is conscious of quality and healthful ingredients. Actually, considering that I made her miso soba noodle soup three times last week for lunch, I thought I should share my new favorite lunch.

I followed her guidelines loosely. She calls for a soup base using miso paste and hot water, but I built on her recipe by adding leftover green tea (inspired by green tea soba I had in Japan) and, since miso soup is usually made with bonito, or dried tuna flakes, I added a dash of fish sauce. To this I added al dente soba noodles, Savoy cabbage, cubes of firm tofu, shitake mushrooms, scallions, cilantro, and chili flakes for spice. So delicious and warming!

This recipe reminds me a bit of my mom, who makes delicious vegetarian dishes and is also quite skilled at using meat as a seasoning, rather than relying on it to play the starring role. In my opinion, it is not difficult to make a delicious meal out of a top quality steak or salmon, but it takes skill and creativity to create delicious, flavorful vegetarian dishes or dishes relying on just a bit of meat.

101 Cookbooks: Miso Soup Recipe

Goan style shrimp curry

2009-03-01T16:34:00.012-06:00

I can't get enough of Indian food. I love it - the complexity of flavors, the textures, the heat! My introduction to Indian food came in high school, when my good friend Sravanya invited a group of friends to lunch at her house. Her mom is a phenomenal cook who took great joy in introducing us to the flavors and dishes of South India: lemon rice, dals, sambar, homemade yogurt, idlis, and a number of astonishingly delicious and complex vegetable dishes. With such a personal introduction, is it any wonder that South Indian fare is one of my favorite cuisines? In college, I continued to try different kinds of Indian food, eventually discovering that I liked North Indian food almost as well.

Unfortunately, I can't say that I have had many successes with Indian food in my own kitchen. I can't get a handle on the subtle spicing. Almost every dish I make seems to taste exactly the same. The base can be chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans, chicken, shrimp, cauliflower, eggplant, or potato and, no matter what, everything tastes annoyingly similar. Yet I want to eat more Indian meals than I can really justify eating out, so I keep plugging along.

The recipe I want to post today is a spicy shrimp curry that I first made about a year ago. I came across this recipe in the New York Times and decided to try it because I recognized the name of the author, Suvir Saran, from a recipe for spiced chicken thighs we made and loved. His delicious chicken thigh recipe convinced me that this recipe would be good as well.

(Just a reminder that you can always click to enlarge. Isn't my hand model stunning?)

The best part of this dish is the spicy, creamy, fragrant and totally addictive sauce, which is a snap to make. Essentially, you saute aromatics (onion, garlic, ginger) with dried chilis and ground spices. To this, you add chopped tomatoes, curry powder, coconut milk, and eventually shrimp. Everything simmers until the shrimp are tender and slightly curled, like big pink apostrophe marks, and then you finish everything with a dusting of cilantro. Doesn't that sound easy and delicious? It takes about a half an hour to put together, which means it takes only slightly longer to make than a pot of basmati rice.

Goan style shrimp curry
by Suvir Saran and Hemant Mathur

This is a gem of a recipe, I think, because the sauce is so versatile. Instead of shrimp (which is nice because it cooks so quickly), you could sub chicken or vegetables (the author recommends cauliflower, potatoes, and green beans). If you substitute vegetables, however, I would steam them before adding them to the sauce.

My notes:

I like to make my own curry powder but you can certainly use a storebought blend.
Start a big pot of basmati rice before you begin prepping the curry.
The amount of kosher salt called for was a little too much for me, though Mark thought it was fine. I am not changing the recipe, but use caution if you are sensitive to salt.
I added extra cayenne pepper at the end, because I like the pain of a spicy curry.

1 1/3 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup canola oil
4 dried red chilies
1 3-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
3 cups canned chopped tomatoes, with juice
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Place shrimp in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag, and add 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper and cayenne. Mix well and refrigerate.

2. In a deep skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat, combine oil and chilies and stir 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and cook for 1 minute longer. Add ginger, onion, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt and sauté until onion is soft and translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, ground coriander and turmeric and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low and add tomatoes. Stir, scraping sides and bottom of pot, for 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often.

4. Stir in curry powder and cook for 1 minute. Add coconut milk, bring to a boil, and add shrimp. Bring to a simmer and cook until shrimp are opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in cilantro. If desired, serve with rice.

Yield: 3 to 4 servings

Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

2009-02-17T20:26:00.001-06:00

I wrote this three (!) weeks ago and forgot to post it.

Work is great, challenging, interesting, and I love it... except for one person, who shall remain nameless, whose negativity and passive aggressiveness can easily ruin my day, if I let it.

After an incredibly stressful day, I came home and I focused my energy on dinner. Namely, I roasted a chicken. Is it strange that roasting a chicken is as calming and satisfying to me as, say, a hot bath or a massage? Roasted chicken is easily one of my top 5 favorite things to make. I love how simple, how comforting, how rewarding a roasted chicken is to make! (And I greedily sock away all the carcasses to make stock later; I think I have 3 chicken carcasses in the freezer right now.)

Today was a perfect day for roasted chicken. I came home, kicked off my shoes, and poured myself a glass of Cabernet. Then I turned my attention to my plump little chicken: carefully washed and dried it, trussed it, salted it, set it in the cast iron skillet atop a layer of thinly sliced potatoes, and let it roast for an hour. Meanwhile, I sauteed sliced fennel, shitake mushrooms, zucchini, and garlic on high heat. A quick deglaze with vegetable stock and soy sauce added some extra flavor and color to the vegetables, which I then placed atop a bed of steamed quinoa and next to my beautiful, bronzed, crispy-skinned chicken. I felt better just looking at it! Just what a good roasted chicken should do for you.

Simplest (and I venture, best) roast chicken
from Thomas Keller, with a few minor modifications

For years, I used Marcella Hazan's famed roasted chicken recipe (you truss the bird, stuff 2 lemons in the cavity, roast breast-side down, flip, change the temperature, etc.) but then I discovered Thomas Keller's method, which boasts the least fuss, the crispiest skin, and the juiciest flesh of any chicken I've made.

The other great thing about roasted chicken is that it lends itself so well to almost any sides (or none at all). My French surrogate family served roasted chicken with spicy Dijon mustard, bread, and a salad; my friend Grace taught me to enjoy roasted chicken with steamed short grain rice and salty seaweed wrappers; Ina Garten roasts the chicken over a bed of potatoes, onions, fennel, and carrots. So many ways, all so very delicious.

2-3 pound bird, best quality
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Rinse the chicken and then dry it very thoroughly, inside and out. Keller notes that a damp chicken will steam, which you want to avoid for the sake of crispy and bronzed skin.

Salt and pepper the cavity. Using cooking twine, truss the bird to secure the wings and drumstick close to the body.

Next, salt the chicken very generously, using about 1 tablespoon of salt. Keller says: "I like to rain the salt over the bird so that it has a nice uniform coating that will result in a crisp, salty, flavorful skin (about 1 tablespoon). When it's cooked, you should still be able to make out the salt baked onto the crisp skin." Add a few grinds of freshly cracked black pepper.

Next, thinly slice a medium sized potato and arrange the slices in a single layer on the bottom of my cast iron skillet. The primary complaint Epicurious commenters have with Keller's chicken is that the chicken juices hitting a hot pan in a 450 degree oven creates a lot of smoke. The potatoes help to soak up the juice and to reduce the smoking that occurs.

Place the chicken on the potatoes and, when the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in the oven. Thomas says: "I leave it alone—I don't baste it, I don't add butter; you can if you wish, but I feel this creates steam, which I don't want. Roast it until it's done, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove it from the oven and add the thyme, if using, to the pan. Baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board." (I love that he says, almost offhand, just roast it until it's done, implying that everyone should just know!) I like to use a thermometer and I take the chicken out at 160 or 165. (The FDA recommends 180, I believe, but I don't enjoy dried out chicken.)

bonsoir mes amis

2009-02-10T21:47:00.016-06:00

I really have been meaning to post lately. I wanted to tell you guys about my new favorite roasted chicken (sorry Marcella Hazan! our run was good while it lasted) and the tasty puffy tacos we ate in San Antonio. And I wanted to tell you about teaching my brother how to cook. Oh, and I discovered how wonderful, easy, and elegant game hens are. And I have found my definitive brownie recipe, which is no small thing.

Other things (as in unrelated to food) are happening as well, like planning the trip we're taking to Paris and Bretagne over our first wedding anniversary. The last time I was in France was July 2005. It's kind of hard to believe! Needless to say, I am very excited. Ever since we bought the tickets, I have been laying awake at night coming up with a list of things I want to do. OK, and maybe it's not correct to refer to this trip as "unrelated to food" -- we don't have our lodging booked but what I do have is a 5 page (and growing) list of epicurean to-do's.

Anyway, more to come later. Meanwhile, wishing you a great week and happy valentine's day! No special plans for us - we might make truffles and open a bottle of our wedding bubbly. Were I more ambitious, I'd be making these super girly felt hearts to send to my bestest gal pals. Via purl bee, which is an excellent website, by the way.

P.S. The other reason I haven't been posting is that I got kindofsortof addicted to Twitter. /confessional over/

Lunch at Huynh

2009-01-24T10:18:00.014-06:00

Hello all! I know it's been awhile since I have posted … I can thank some very busy times at work and also Houston's gorgeous weather of late, which has led to many picnics and afternoon walks. I find it extremely hard to go back to work when it is 65 degrees, breezy, and sunshine-y, don't you?

One day the lunch I had packed didn't seem appealing --lentil soup is one of my favorites, but somehow it seemed inappropriate for a beautiful day -- and so we decided to get lunch at Huynh, a Viet restaurant outside of downtown. We chose the worst possible day to go, however, as a favorable review had just been published in the Houston Chronicle. There were major hiccups with the service, but I can't fault them for being slammed after a very positive review. Besides, my frustration at the wait melted away once I had one bite of my food, which was delicious.

I ordered one of my favorite dishes, banh cuon: thin rice noodle crepes enveloping savory pork and garnished with basil, cucumber, lettuce and fried shallot. Judging by the delicate texture, I believe Huynh's rice noodle crepes were freshly made, which astounded me, because I have never had freshly made banh cuon except in Vietnam. The Chronicle review confirmed that they make their rice crepes and some of their noodles in-house, to-order, which makes this place a real find.

Rice noodle crepes are made by pouring a thin layer of rice batter over a piece of damp cloth that has been stretched over a hot surface, sometimes a steamer and sometimes a griddle. The end product (think a rice crepe) is ultra-thin, translucent, and very delicate. In Saigon we saw several banh cuon ladies making this dish on street corners or in markets. In the absence of my own banh cuon lady on the corner, I am happy to go to Huynh to get my fix. I wish they would add a few bean sprouts, but otherwise it is pretty close to perfect.

I was also really happy with the nuoc cham dipping sauce. Most places in Houston go light on the fish sauce and heavy on the sugar, but Huynh's version was redolent with fish sauce, a little spicy, a touch sour, and just slightly sweet. Balanced nuoc cham is a very good thing.

We chatted with the owner's husband for a bit, who was very nice, about Vietnam and the restaurant. He was apologetic about our food taking so long and asked us to give them another chance. He didn't need to cajole us – in fact, we have already made plans to go here for dinner this weekend with some friends! I want my new banh cuon place to stick around.

Huynh Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine
912 St. Emanuel St.
Houston, Texas

Sick habits

2009-01-11T10:16:00.006-06:00

I am sick. Luckily, Mark and I have a system that has never failed: 1. Mark gets sick. Kim takes care of Mark. 2. After Mark recovers, Kim gets sick. Mark takes care of Kim.

This works really, really well. If you have to be sick, it is a great luxury to have a healthy person to run to the store for juice, to make soup, and to bring you a box of tissues when you don't feel like moving from the couch. The only scary thing is what would happen if we were to both get sick at once. In almost 6 years together, this has never happened. And I hope it never does.

I always do the same thing when I get a cold. Sick apparel: leggings, hooded sweatshirt. Sick viewing: Anything I can fall asleep to, but the best is the entire Pride and Prejudice BBC series. Sick reading: Reading?

My main interest is in sick eats/drinks. I have found that everyone has something they swear by, whether it was something a loving parent always gave them or something miraculous they discovered on accident. My friend Nicole used to swear by the BRAT diet - bananas, rice, applesauce, toast. As a kid, Mark had chicken soup, cream of wheat blended with a banana, 7-up, saltines, and lime sherbet. Here are my usual suspects:

1. Homemade soup. When I'm sick, I must have something hot that slips down the throat. One of my favorites is chao, also known as congee or jook, which is a thin, porridge-like rice soup. Simple and immensely comforting, it must have shredded chicken, lots of ginger, and pepper. I also like chicken noodle soup. If I'm lucky, Mark will roast a chicken and then use the carcass to make stock and shred the meat into my soup.

2. When we don't have homemade soup on hand, I cry and wish my mom was there. Then I send Mark out for take-out pho ga (chicken pho) or tom yum (spicy Thai soup). Whenever I feel under the weather, I really crave flavorful, spicy broth. Pho is especially great after a long flight.

3. Sparkling water with fruit juice. Orange juice, grapefruit juice, or passionfruit juice are all excellent.

4. Hot water with thinly sliced ginger and lemon wedges, mixed with a lot of honey. If I have a sore throat or am congested, this works wonders.

5. Crackers. My mom always had saltines and ginger ale on hand when our stomachs were upset. I don't care for ginger ale these days, but crackers are essential sick food.

6. Fruit sorbet. Raspberry Haagen-Dazs, please! Actually, cold fruit in general, especially oranges and berries.

7. When my taste buds start to return, I invariably crave crusty bread, spread with goat cheese and drizzled with honey.

What are your sick foods? Are they the same as when you were a kid, or have they changed as you got older?

Jean Georges: happy 2009 to me

2009-01-05T21:29:00.040-06:00

When my sister suggested lunch at Jean Georges during our trip to NYC, my heart leaped with happy excitement. What can I say? Jean Georges Vongerichten is a genius at combining French and Asian flavors, or so I had read. I had always wanted to try his food and oh, I was so excited. And now you'll have to indulge me as I share all the details.

Our table had a view of Central Park West, which was lovely when it started to snow lightly outside. As a freak for china and silver and crystal, I also couldn't stop admiring the monogrammed china and sleek silver flatware -- let's just say that it's a good thing we already have one set of heirloom sterling silver. We settled in at our table, ordered wine and sparkling sodas, and munched on warm bread spread with butter and tiny flakes of salt.

Amuse bouche: We started with a shot of silky, creamy cumin-scented cauliflower soup with beet puree, a bite of lightly smoked salmon in a creamy sauce, and finally a slice of dehydrated clementine. The soup was so subtle, so well seasoned. Clean, balanced flavors are something that I really appreciate and strive for in my own cooking -- the sophisticated combination of cumin, cauliflower, and beet really set the tone for the meal. The smoked salmon bite was tasty and pretty. And the dehydrated clementine was so sour that my sister's eyes snapped open as she ate her slice. As the end note of the amuse-bouche, it was interesting and palate cleansing.

1st course: Japanese snapper carpaccio with crystallized ginger and white radish was disappointingly one note, though the fish was fresh and sweet. I much preferred my sister's young garlic and thyme scented soup, poured tableside and served with tender, juicy frog legs. The soup itself was beautifully seasoned; the garlic and thyme permeated the soup without taking over. Mark ordered foie gras brulee, served on toasted brioche with pineapple and Meyer lemon jam. The foie was rich and heady and lush, with a slightly torched exterior. And the tartness of the jam? Amazing contrast in flavor. All I can say is that I loved it. And by that I mean I closed my eyes and wished it wouldn't end.

2nd course: Mark and my sister both ordered soy-glazed short ribs with apple-jalapeno puree and rosemary crumbs. This dish was very, very good, though Lynh wished it had been served hot. I thought I tasted star anise, a spice I love with beef (because of pho, of course). And the flavor pairing of apple and jalapeno was great.

I ordered fried sweetbreads on licorice sticks with a lemon sauce and a grilled pear. The elements of this dish were good but I didn't think the flavors and textures blended as effortlessly or as deliciously as in the other dishes. I did very much enjoy the grilled pear, which was sweet and just slightly smoky.

Dessert: Jean Georges offered several themes to choose from: I chose caramel, Mark chose chocolate, and Lynh chose winter. The desserts were beautifully presented -- pastry chefs are artists, seriously!

My favorite variation on caramel was the caramel pop – cardamom and caramel ice cream covered with a thick layer of dark chocolate on a stick. It was adorable and delicious. I also had a lovely, lovely pineapple sorbet -- it was sweet and tangy and the essence of ripe pineapple. Honestly, I was so happy eating this that I ignored the crispy dehydrated sponge and ribbons of caramel curd on the plate.

Lynh's winter plate had a Saigon cinnamon doughnut and prune-Armagnac jam served on the side. After we finished the doughnut, I ate every bit of the jam with a spoon. It was too good to leave behind. The last item was pretty but I didn't taste it. Cranberry... something.

Mark's molten chocolate cake was superlative, as well it should have been, since Jean Georges Vongericthen is credited with its invention. We enjoyed the vanilla bean ice cream but we all disliked the last dish, which the menu describes as chocolate gnocchi. Really disliked it. It was salty and had a strange texture and completely interrupted my dessert high. The grapefruit-gianduja-basil sauce on the side was interesting, but I felt like there was a little too much going on here.

Mignardises: Marshmallows, assorted truffles, and miniature macarons.

Had we not made marshmallows last weekend, I would have been enchanted by these. But I tasted the banana and cranberry marshmallows and set them aside in favor of the teeny, crisp, and chewy macarons. And there were so many truffles that I can't remember the flavors, but we all thought the salty peanut butter and jelly chocolate truffle was outstanding. After coffee and espresso and nearly 3 hours, we left, happy and full.

All in all, there were some hits and misses, but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, especially sharing it with two of my favorite people. Obviously, I stored every detail in my brain so I wouldn't forget it. And, despite there being a recession going on (as my sister's boyfriend helpfully pointed out) I think it was truly an excellent value for a Michelin 3 star restaurant.

birthday wishes

2008-12-30T12:01:00.007-06:00

Happy birthday to my beloved sis who turns 24 today!

I thought I would share a photo of one of her gifts, since we won't be there to celebrate until tomorrow afternoon:

Marshmallows! 4 flavors: chocolate, cinnamon-mocha, vanilla, and blackberry. They are puffy and dreamy and really delicious and I can't wait to share them with her, along with the rest of her gifts.

I'll be ringing in the New Year somewhere in Manhattan with my amazing husband and sister and then we'll be eating our way through the city, from Jean Georges (!!) to soup dumplings in Chinatown to pizza in Brooklyn. Wishing all of you the very best for 2009! Until then...

P.S. Go Rice!

polaroid fun

2008-12-28T16:03:00.005-06:00

I wasted about 45 minutes today playing around with Poladroid. I know, it's cheating. But I never had a Polaroid camera and I love watching the pictures "develop."

1. Tea time. Earl Grey. Apple tart.
2. Sunset. Ha Long Bay, Vietnam.
3. Dawn. Sapa, Vietnam.
4. Breakfast. Nutmeg waffles. Whipped cream. Berry coulis.

Christmas morning

2008-12-25T14:05:00.010-06:00

Merry Christmas! I just wanted to share my favorite pictures of the day. Christmas breakfast is my favorite holiday meal and this year's meal was no exception. We did the majority of the prep last night before midnight mass, so this morning we woke up late and padded in the kitchen with our bed head and our glasses. Relatively little muss or fuss, and no hype -- just good, simple food and coffee.

We had cinnamon sugar brioche (Mark's rendition of his grandmother's famed "coffee cake"), quiche with Gruyere, and to lighten everything a bit ... a beautiful, refreshing citrus and pomegranate salad with mint sugar.

I'll be honest - the fruit salad prep can be a little messy and time-consuming -- you have to peel and section the grapefruits and oranges and if you have a juicy pomegranate the juice will be all over the place -- but the end result is so light and refreshingly juicy. It's totally worth it. I keep wandering back to the refrigerator to get another little bowlful.

And just for fun -- our Pac Man quiche:

how to warm up on a snowy night

2008-12-10T22:33:00.011-06:00

To me, cold weather means soup, boots, skiing, and hot drinks. Tea, coffee, hot chocolate? All just fine. But at this time of year hot mulled wine (also known as glögg, glühwein, or vin chaud) is just the thing. I don't drink so much (hello, my name is Kim and I am a notorious lightweight) and, as a general rule, I really dislike overly sweet alcoholic drinks -- but there is something about cozily spiced, warm, sweet red wine that is so, so nice. Especially if there are actual (!) snow (!) flurries (!) outside (!!!).

And it's so easy. You combine a bottle of red wine, warm spices, sugar, orange slices, the juice of half an orange, and a glug of brandy. Heat through. Seriously, that is all. I don't know about you, but I have all of those things on hand all the time.

And I think the German term, glühwein, is the best name. As my funny co-worker put it this morning: "Glühwein means 'glowing.' It doesn't glow but, after drinking it, you will!"

Hot mulled wine

This recipe is very forgiving: you can use almost any combination of spices in your wine, but my favorites are cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. I have also flavored the wine with a whole vanilla bean, black peppercorns, whole allspice berries, and grated nutmeg (thought not all at once!). Also, instead of brandy, you could use triple sec or another fruit liqueur, though I would cut back on the sugar a bit.

1 bottle dry red wine (Beaujolais is perfect, but any dry red will do)
1/3 to 3/4 cup sugar, depending on taste
1 medium orange
1 cinnamon stick
5-6 cardamom pods
5-6 whole cloves
glug of brandy

Add wine and 1/3 cup sugar to a saucepan over low heat. Add cinnamon stick, cardamom, cloves, liqueur, the juice of one orange, and the the juiced orange peels. Simmer on low until heated through, about 20 minutes, but not boiling. Taste and add additional sugar or liqueur, if desired.

paper chain

2008-12-06T12:49:00.002-06:00

Reminder for next year: use double sided scrapbook paper.

Jones Tasty Hearty Healthy Beanie Soup

2008-12-06T12:11:00.006-06:00

My brother, sister, Mark, and I are in love with what we like to call MomSpeak, MomSpeak being the hilarious and adorable emails that my mom sends to all of us. After more than 25 years in this country, her English is very good (she regularly beats all of us in Scrabble, to my dad's chagrin) but she has a really funny habit of mixing metaphors or using words that aren't necessarily used in casual conversation. We never know what she is going to say next.

A few months ago she sent my sister the recipe for her ham and bean soup and, inexplicably, called the recipe "Jones Tasty Hearty Healthy Beanie Soup." As far as I can remember, we always referred to this soup as plain old bean soup. But from now on I will always call it Jones Tasty Hearty Healthy Beanie Soup.

We ate this all the time when we were kids, probably because my dad grew up eating this and loves it. And why not? Jones Tasty Hearty Healthy Beanie Soup is indeed Tasty, with creamy beans, salty and smoky ham, and a smidge of sweetness from softened carrots, onion, and celery. It is Hearty, really more of a stew than a soup, and (I'm quoting my mom here) is "perfect for a bone chilling day." Finally, this soup is Healthy, the beans --excuse me, beanies-- provide a wallop of fiber and protein. The name is apt. Good job, Mom.

Unfortunately, I don't have a photo for you, because my brother inhaled everything before I had a chance to take one. Instead, I offer this, as a reminder to stock up on clementines!

Jones Tasty Hearty Healthy Beanie Soup

My mom says that ham shanks are preferable to ham hocks because they provide more meat for the soup. However, when I went to the grocery store, there were no ham shanks to be found. Instead I bought 2 large ham hocks and a ham steak. By the way, I think 1 pound of beans is roughly $1.00, the ham shanks were $2.50, and the ham steak was on sale for $3.80. This is recession-friendly fare! This soup filled our le Creuset French oven (which is 5.5 quarts of beautiful red enameled cast iron) almost all the way to the top, so you will need a large vessel in which to make this soup.

1 pound dry white beans, such as cannellini (my preference) or navy beans
1-2 pounds of ham shanks or 2-3 ham hocks
1/2 to 3/4 cup cubed ham, if desired (recommended if using ham hocks)
1 large diced yellow onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrot
2-3 cloves minced garlic
sprig of thyme
1-2 bay leaves

Soak beans in 8 cups of water overnight, or 4-6 hours. Drain the water.
Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot or dutch oven.
Add bay leaves, ham shanks (or ham hocks), beans, garlic, and thyme to the water and bring to a boil again. Lower heat to medium and allow to boil slowly, stirring occasionally, until beans soften. Note that, depending on how old your beans are, this process could take anywhere from 1 hour to 3 hours. I usually let the beans simmer for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
When the beans are softened but still al dente, add the chopped vegetables. If using cubed ham, add to the soup. Let the soup simmer --on low or medium low-- another 45 minutes to an hour, until vegetables are soft and beans are creamy. Some will burst and thicken the soup -- this is good! If you are using ham shanks, you may want to pull them out of the soup, shred the meat, and return to the soup.
Taste and add salt and pepper, if necessary. Depending on how salty your ham is, it may not be necessary. Garnish, if desired, with a bit of minced parsley or more fresh thyme leaves.

O tannenbaum

2008-12-03T22:12:00.010-06:00

On Friday night I forced Mark and my brother to listen to the cheesiest Christmas pop I could find (soundtrack: Paul McCartney's Wonderful Christmas Time, Wham's Last Christmas, and Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas is You) while we ate cookies and decorated our tree.

Until tonight, however, our tree just didn't look quite right. On a whim, I pulled out all of my colorful pink, green, red, and white printed scrapbooking paper, cut it into roughly even strips, and constructed an old school paper chain to drape around our tree. It's not perfect but I love it on our tree! Next project: paper snowflake ornaments and a wreath with brightly colored paper leaves for our front door. The latter is a big endeavor, so I think I will need to put Last Christmas on repeat to prepare myself for all the cutting and pasting.

Happy birthday, Mark!

2008-11-30T15:41:00.019-06:00

I love birthdays -- and I love big, elaborate, showstoppingly delicious birthday meals.

One of the most festive and fun birthday lunches I have ever attended was in Paris, at a family friend's home. When the French celebrate, they really celebrate. I think we spent 4, no 5, hours at the table, finishing countless bottles of red wine and lingering over cheese, dessert, and le digestif (prunes in armagnac) until it was dark outside. So, so fun! This menu was my attempt to recreate that experience, although we barely finished 1 bottle of Riesling and had to take a break before tackling dessert... pathetic.

Although moules frites is one of my favorite meals ever, and I could eat a mountain of the blue cheese, pear, and endive salad, and the aioli was good enough to eat with a spoon, we all agreed that the chocolate torte was the best part of the meal.

I adore this recipe. I came across it in the New York Times a few years ago and it has become my go-to dessert to end a fancy meal or to celebrate something important. A traditional torte calls for good chocolate, lots of eggs and butter, sometimes ground nuts, and a scant amount of flour. This is all of those things, minus the nuts.

The torte comes together in no time, although I always find separating eggs to be a little tedious and nerve wracking. You end up with a batter that is glossy and luscious and light from the whipped egg whites. The torte puffs in the oven and then, during a stint in the refrigerator, falls.

Here is the thing about my torte: it looks like nothing special, crackle topped and bumpy and, as I mentioned, it falls after cooling due to the lack of chemical leavening. But no matter. Gilded with some loosely whipped cream, a slice of this torte is something extremely special. The outer edge is a little bit like traditional chocolate cake (a rich crumb from the flour) and the inside? The center is rich, fudgy, creamy, dense, something I would compare to a really amazing chocolate truffle.

Azo Family Chocolate Cake (via NYTimes)
10 servings

As with any recipe, the quality of the final product will depend on the quality of the ingredients, especially the butter and the chocolate. The flavor of the chocolate is front and center, so use something delicious. I am a fan of Callebaut and El Rey. I also usually serve this with berry coulis because I love the extra layer of flavor, but that is just gilding the lily.

8½ ounces (2 sticks plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, more for greasing pan
7 ounces best quality bittersweet chocolate (60 percent or higher cacao), chopped
5 large eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
Pinch of sea salt
Whipped cream for serving

1. Place rack in top third of oven and heat to 400 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and set aside.

2. Finely chop chocolate (I use a serrated knife) and combine with butter. Melt in double boiler or microwave. Stir to combine.

3. Separate 5 eggs, keeping the yolks in one medium bowl and the egg whites in another (preferably the bowl of a stand mixer). It is important that not one speck of egg yolk remain in the egg whites, or they won't whip properly. I like to break the entire egg into a separate bowl and then separate by hand but you can use whatever method you like.

4. Add sugar to egg yolks. Add flour to egg yolk mixture and stir until just combined. Add chocolate mixture and stir until smooth.

5. Using a stand mixer (or electric mixer), whisk egg whites and salt until stiff (will form peaks) but not dry. Fold egg whites into chocolate mixture just until blended. Pour into cake pan.

6. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove cake from oven and allow to cool for 1 hour.

7. Wrap with foil and refrigerate until cake is firm and cold, at least 2 hours or overnight. Two hours before serving, remove cake from refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Slice (center of cake will be fudgy) and serve, if desired, with whipped cream.

Weekend

2008-11-25T19:06:00.009-06:00

We just spent such a nice weekend in Boston and, the weekend prior, we had a really wonderful visit in Georgia with my family. This Thanksgiving I have so many things to be thankful for. Family and friends definitely, definitely top the list. Other things? Spicy, creamy lobster bisque. Briny, juicy, and delicious oysters on the half shell. Spiced, seared lamb chops and roasted eggplant with cold yogurt and savory tomato sauce at an amazing Afghan restaurant, the Helmand. And getting to see the very last of the fall foliage in Boston.

A handmade Christmas

2008-11-15T14:22:00.015-06:00

I really don't want to admit it but, if Thanksgiving is now less than 2 weeks away, that means Christmas is around the corner. Oh, and Mark's birthday is coming up soon also. I want my 2008 back.

Every year, I start with the very best intentions: I'll only give handmade, I'll make something meaningful, or I'll do something special. Screw material gifts! I think I'll put pressure on myself to keep this code again this year, but I won't beat myself up too badly if, around December 21, I decide that making 25 batches of gingersnaps is not happening.

Right now I really want to quit work, shut myself in for a few weeks, pick up Lena Corwin's latest book Printing By Hand, and go bananas making gifts.

I have been meaning to get this for months now, as I am in love with rubber stamp crafts and anything to do with fabric, and I finally came across it at the bookstore today - it is fantastic. Lots of good gift ideas: handmade printed stationery and printed napkins and stenciled notebooks were lovely and seemed relatively simple to do. I was also really struck by her aesthetic: she uses bold colors and patterns but overall the effect is still minimalist and clean, which I really appreciate. Of course, if you're not the crafty type, this would actually be a great gift for a crafty friend as well.

16 days?!

2008-11-11T21:15:00.013-06:00

I just realized that Thanksgiving is a mere 16 days away. Normally, at this point, I'd be debating with Mark whether to splurge on a Heritage turkey or just find a fresh bird or maybe try something new (a capon?), scribbling down menu ideas, picking out wine, ironing our napkins while catching up on House, and organizing my shopping list into zones to be tackled weekly.

But this year I've been a little bummed since my family won't be here to spend Thanksgiving with us, which is why I was relieved when Mark's adviser invited us to have dinner with his extended family and a bevy of other graduate students. Mark and I love cooking Thanksgiving dinner; we've gotten pretty good at turning out a tasty bird and all the trimmings, but it'll be nice not to have to do all the planning this year.

Still, I've been eyeing the caramel pumpkin pie filling recipe from Gourmet, pictured above... not having pumpkin pie in the refrigerator for late night snacking on Thanksgiving weekend is unthinkable!

Holiday cottage

2008-11-10T19:49:00.017-06:00

This cottage in the Highlands renovated by Papa Stour looks like the perfect place to spend a long holiday.

Doesn't this look wonderfully remote and cozy? I'm so obsessed with the idea of exploring the Scottish highlands. If Scotland wasn't so rainy and without daylight during the winter, this place would be perfect for the week between Christmas and New Year's Day.

By the way, this post is brought to you by my love for googling baby animals at the end of a long day. Today it was Highland Cattle. Love!

Cutting the Congressional pork

2008-11-09T14:06:00.009-06:00

Our election party was a success and, actually, it was such a success that I failed to take any good pictures. Except this:

Our friend Petros won the prize for best politically-themed dish: Congressional pork (tenderloin) stuffed with arugula, blue cheese, and sun dried tomatoes. The impressive number of political references alone would have won the prize, but the fact that it was also incredibly delicious pushed it over the edge. The best part of the night was seeing Obama win and toasting him with champagne (well, for me -- I guess the McCain supporters at our party weren't thrilled). In general, I am too cynical to believe that Obama is an entirely different kind of politician or that he will magically cure all of our country's problems, but I have to admit that I am more than a little excited about helping to elect him and everything that means for our country.

OK, now you'll probably never hear me mention politics on this blog again. Going outside to enjoy the weekend!

To do: exercise our constitutional rights. and eat.

2008-11-03T21:16:00.019-06:00

I woke up feeling under the weather this morning but, after an extra hour of rest and a few cups of tea with ginger, honey, and lemon, I am already feeling better. I just went to vote and, while I was delighted not to have to wait in line (we were in and out in 5 minutes), I was slightly perturbed that no one was there, save Mark, me, and a cute old man who was excited to vote for the first time in 30 years. I hope people are planning to vote!

We are having an election party tonight and I am very excited. Champagne is chilling in the refrigerator, the Fudge to Nowhere cake is nearly in the oven (Mark's addition), and I've prepped the ingredients to make orecchiete with Barack-oli rabe, garlic, chiles, and parmigiano reggiano. I am looking forward to our friends' politically themed contributions. ACORN squash gratin? McCainaroni and cheese? BaRack of lamb? Yum. Happy election day all.

P.S. Gobama!

P.P.S. Never underestimate the restorative power of chicken noodle soup, which is especially satisfying when you already have all the elements on hand: leftover roast chicken, onion, celery, carrots, herbs, and a flavorful stock made from the chicken carcass and vegetable trimmings. Robin, this bowl uses the kosher egg noodles we adopted from you guys when you moved to Chicago! I thought of you.

Sweet potato biscuits for breakfast, or anytime

2008-11-01T12:16:00.011-05:00

Making breakfast together is a Saturday morning tradition for Mark and me. In fact, this has been going on ever since we started dating. I remember making countless batches of waffles and pancakes (there is a strong preference for waffles in our house) to be drizzled with berry sauces and whipped cream. Eggs, always a favorite of mine: Benedict, en cocotte, scrambled, baked, poached, fried in olive oil, with toast, with tortillas, whipped with cream for quiche or frittata, or perched atop spicy tomato sauce. Bacon or sausage, almost always. Thick, steel-cut oatmeal, often during the winter months, swirled with fuit compote or brown sugar. Grits, rarely. And so many baked goods. Mark loves his baked goods.

Today we had biscuits. Dorie Greenspan's sweet potato biscuits, to be exact. I thumbed through Baking and came across this recipe, realized we had a giant sweet potato that has been languishing on our counter for almost a month, and mobilized. Boil chunks of sweet potato until very tender. Mash with a fork. Let cool, while assembling the other ingredients: flour, salt, brown sugar, butter, baking powder, and a few shavings of fresh nutmeg. The dough comes together quickly and then you cut out the biscuits (my favorite part!) and bake for 14 minutes, long enough to cook some bacon and scrambled eggs and set the table with honey (my preferred accompaniment to biscuits).

I am linking to Dorie's recipe here, via NPR. Enjoy these not-too-sweet biscuits, filled with sweet potato flavor, that are tender and so, so good. I especially enjoy the little chunks of sweet potato, a result of my not-too-perfect mashing skills. Oh, and I think these would be amazing on a Thanksgiving table.

Scenes from recent life

2008-10-25T10:40:00.010-05:00

Life has been so hectic lately. I have found myself on the brink of being completely overwhelmed. But this week has been filled with good news and friends -- and for that I am so grateful.

For now, the weather is so unbelievably gorgeous that I am putting on a sundress and sandals and enjoying that I can still do so in late October. That means that I am too lazy to write and instead I'm posting recent pictures. Happy weekend everyone!

Succulents at a garden shop in the Heights:

Grilled lamb and beef skewers:

Delicious tofu and mushroom soup at Tofu Village:

Rorschach egg face:

Newly framed photos we hung in the guest room:

Prepping chicken to make chicken under a brick:

The best way to forget a rainy night

2008-10-19T08:12:00.003-05:00

Sangria, in my mind, practically demands to be sipped al fresco. Ideally, you should enjoy it in the company of good friends. While wearing a breezy dress and leather sandals. Nibbling on tasty snacks, like a translucent slice of jamon iberico.

Never mind that it is October and the weather in Houston has turned drizzly and gray and that, these days, a classic pair of Hunter wellington boots would be much more useful than flimsy sandals. But the company of good friends? Good friends we got. We consider ourselves lucky to have amazing friends, Brandon and Elvia, who we can call in the morning and make impromptu dinner plans for that night. And it is even nicer when they volunteer to bring carnitas, tortillas, and guacamole to supplement our black beans, sangria, and chocolate cake. I love them!

I am a huge, huge fan of homemade sangria and its presence is always welcome during parties. It is delicious and is easily made the night before with in-season fruit. It is a relatively inexpensive affair; I use good quality liquor but the wine doesn't have to be great (thank you Spec's for stocking drinkable $6 bottles of wine) because you are adding tons of flavor with fruit and Cointreau. And, for a fun, casual dinner with close friends, well, I can't recommend anything better.

For the sangria, I used the same base --citrus sugar syrup, freshly squeezed orange juice, sparkling water, Cointreau, 1 diced apple and half of a diced pear, and orange wedges-- to flavor two pitchers: a red-wine sangria from a bottle of Tempranillo and a sparkling wine sangria from a bottle of Cava.

I wish I had taken a better picture -- but let's just say this was more fun to drink than it was to photograph.

Improvised sangria

1 bottle Spanish red wine, such as Tempranillo or Rioja or 1 bottle sparkling wine, such as Cava
1/2 cup citrus-flavored simple syrup, or more to taste (see below)
1/2 to 3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 large, juicy orange plus 1/2 cup thinly sliced orange or small orange wedges
1/2 cup apple slices
1/2 cup triple sec
sparkling water, if desired

To make the citrus-flavored simple syrup

Squeeze the juice of 1 orange into a large pitcher, reserving the peels.
In a saucepan, add equal parts sugar and water and the reserved orange peels. Note: If you only want to make enough for the recipe, add 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar, stir, and and heat until dissolved. (I like to make at least 1 cup at a time, because the citrus simple syrup will keep in the refrigerator in a jar and is nice to have around for cocktails or to sweeten tea.)
Remove the orange peels and allow syrup to cool. Strain to remove pulp if desired.

To make the sangria:

In the pitcher containing the orange juice, add the diced apples, orange wedges, triple sec, red wine or sparkling wine, and the simple syrup. Stir and taste to make sure it is sweet enough and strong enough for you. Those of you with a higher tolerance for alcohol may want to sneak in another glug of triple sec or maybe even some brandy. This is forgiving stuff.
You should let this macerate overnight in the refrigerator. If you can't wait that long, though, give it at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
To serve, pour in a glass (with or without ice) and top off with sparkling water, if desired.

One pitcher should serve 4 moderate sangria lovers but 2 pitchers is better than 1.

Things I learned this week

2008-10-18T08:06:00.001-05:00

I had always heard that brioche makes the best french toast. I am pleased to confirm: it's true! This is just one of those things you need to learn for yourself.

Make Rose Levy Berenbaum's brioche. (Not as easy as it sounds, unless you're me and your husband willingly does all the work.)
Enjoy it toasted with scrambled eggs, or toasted and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.
When the brioche goes stale, slice and soak in a mixture of egg, milk, vanilla, and sugar.
Fry in butter.
Swoon.

From Vietnam, with love

2008-10-16T20:41:00.001-05:00

I have been meaning to post about the next part of our honeymoon, Nha Trang, where my mom grew up. It is a tall order to find the time to write my thoughts about one of the most incredible and beautiful places I have ever visited but, you know me, I have to start with the food.

My favorite part of our stay in Nha Trang was taking a private cooking class with Thuy, a sweet, soft-spoken, and knowledgeable sous-chef at our hotel. She humbly admitted that, although she had no formal training, the hotel chef invited her to serve on his staff because of her incredible knowledge of classic Vietnamese cooking, techniques, and dishes. Of course, she had learned to cook from all the women in her family and, as a result, had the natural, innate abilities and understanding that the best home cooks have.

Thuy was passionate about Vietnamese food, flavors, and ingredients, which made the lesson a real pleasure. After a few minutes of chatting, Thuy immediately understood that we were devoted enthusiasts of Vietnamese cuisine and was delighted to answer all the questions we had. She took the time to describe all the herbs and ingredients, how to best prepare them, and how to pick out the finest specimens at the market. She smiled as we took photos of unfamiliar ingredients and everything we made and as we asked her to judge whether Mark's or my rendition of Papaya, Squid, and Prawn salad was superior. It was a lot of fun. The below picture shows me holding a taro stem over a bowl containing fresh pineapple, chiles, and tai-to leaves.

Last week we decided to make one of the recipes we had learned from Thuy: Mixed Seafood in Black Pepper Caramel Sauce, or Hai San Kho To. The seafood is simmered in a full-flavored, complex, and unusual sauce of black caramel, fish sauce, and stock, along with a healthy amount of black pepper, chile, shallots, garlic, and scallions. Although there are quite a few steps to this recipe, the dish comes together rather quickly and it is a really lovely, accessible introduction to Vietnamese cooking.

It was fun to make near the eve of our six month wedding anniversary. I'm sure we'll be making it again soon.

Mixed Seafood in Black Pepper Caramel Sauce

This dish is traditionally made in a clay pot, prized for its heat retention. Since we don't have a clay pot, we used the next best thing: our enameled Le Creuset cast iron pot (a wedding gift from our dear friend Jyoti!). As for the types of seafood you can use, choose your favorites but beware that delicate fish, such as cod, will fall apart. We used a combination of halibut, shrimp, and squid, but next time I think I would leave out the halibut because the shrimp and squid were amazing.

Ingredients for fried shallot garnish
6 shallots
1/2 cup oil (canola or peanut are good)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for the black caramel
10 grams sugar (about 2 1/2 teaspoons)
50 mL water (slightly less than 1/4 cup)

Ingredients for the seafood and sauce

3/4 to 1 pound of seafood such as shrimp, squid, or firm-fleshed fish
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock or water
1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon black caramel (see recipe below)
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 whole Thai chili (optional)
2 scallions, chopped
Cilantro, for garnish
Fried shallot, for garnish (see below)

To make the crispy fried shallot garnish:

Heat a heavy skillet over moderate heat.
While the skillet is heating, thinly slice the shallots with a sharp knife. Spread them out over a dry surface. It is important that the shallots are not wet, or they will splatter when you add them to the oil. Thuy told us that she dries shallots under the sun for 3-4 hours, but you can also let them sit in a hot oven for 5-10 minutes if you wish.
Add the oil to the skillet. When the oil just begins to smoke, add shallots to oil, stirring until golden brown. Depending on how small your skillet is, you may want to do this in batches.
The shallots will take about 3-5 minutes to turn golden brown.Transfer the shallots with a slotted spoon to a rack to drain.
Toss fried shallots with 1/4 teaspoon salt. (Note: We keep the oil, which now has a nice shallot flavor, to fry potatoes on another day.

To make the black caramel:

Place sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
As it heats, the mixture will begin to bubble and darken in color. Watch the saucepan carefully and stir so that the caramel does not stick or burn. (A silicone spatula is your friend here.)
The mixture will turn light brown, then dark brown, and finally black. Remove from heat, add a dash of water (1/2 tablespoon, I'd say) and stir to make a loose sauce. Set aside.

To make the seafood and sauce:

Heat an enameled cast-iron pot, if available, or a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat.
While the pot is heating, mince the shallot and garlic. Set aside.
Prepare the seafood: peel the shrimp, cut squid into equally-sized rings, and cut fish into bite sized chunks.
Once the pot is hot (remember, medium heat), add oil along with the minced shallot and garlic. Saute shallots and garlic until browned.
Add seafood to pot and sear on all sides. The shrimp will turn pink and the fish and squid will begin to turn opaque.
Add black caramel mixture, fish sauce, and stock to the pot and stir. Add the additional 1 tablespoon sugar and stir. The mixture will slowly thicken.
Turn heat to low and let the mixture simmer until the seafood is tender and cooked throughout, approximately 4-5 minutes.
Season with a few grinds of pepper (I like a healthy amount of black pepper so I did at least 6 turns) and add salt to taste.
Garnish with cilantro and crunchy fried shallots and serve with steamed rice.

Photo updates

2008-10-11T12:25:00.013-05:00

If I said I was flummoxed by this week's hoopla -- markets dropping, election weariness, a painful tetanus shot, and lots of work -- would you believe me? It's true. For now, I will resort to updating via photo glimpses of my life.

When your husband has a busy day ahead of him, it's awfully thoughtful to get up early and bake madeleines. These simple, buttery, faintly lemony, and irresistible treats remind me of le goûter (the 4pm snack time in France is practically an institution and one which I took to immediately). So nice with a cup of tea. Earl Gray, please.

I have been on a simple food kick lately. Pork tenderloin rubbed with a simple spice mixture (salt, allspice, cinnamon, cumin, brown sugar, paprika), seared and roasted. Carrot and parsley salad with lemon vinaigrette. Rosemary and salt crusted potatoes.

More of the same. Saffron rice. Mango-pork picadillo. Garlicky kale.

We spent a few days in Chicago, hosted by my friend Susie. Highlights included an amazing photography exhibit at the Art Institute, our haunting karaoke duet to "Total Eclipse of the Heart," and her boyfriend Demian's birthday brunch, replete with birthday song chanting and the best veggie burger I have ever had. Obligatory self-taken tourist photo at the Bean in Millenium Park:

Saturday afternoon we drove to Galena, Illinois, birthplace of Ulysses Grant and home to Mark's awesome grandpa Cliff who turned 86 on Sunday. The chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting (frosted expertly by Mark's mom) we made:

Hello again

2008-09-28T15:46:00.010-05:00

Well, hello. It has been a little while, hasn't it? I have been working hard and enjoying my evenings after work but I thought I'd share a few of the activities that have been taking up my time lately:

Eating Honeycrisp apples like mad. Honeycrisp apples are in season again! Rejoice in eating the juiciest, crispiest, sweetest apple ever while they last. And keep a napkin or two handy. I should know.

Reorganizing and cleaning. Everyone else has a part of their home that they are ashamed of and would not want anyone else to see, right? (Right?) For us, it was the guest bedroom/office which was, okay, I'll say it, massively cluttered with crafts supplies, boxes, clothes to be donated, and who knows what else. The room is finally approaching a presentable state, I am happy to say.

I also picked up a new plant to brighten up the bathroom (check out its heart-shaped leaves!).

Quietly celebrating a major milestone last week. A mere 6 years ago, Mark and I were set up on a blind date for Rice's annual Screw Your Roommate. We've been together ever since (mostly), laughing, traveling, eating, and supporting one another in everything.

HBO's John Adams mini-series. So good!

Finally, lots of cooking (of course). A peek into food to come: Vietnamese mixed seafood in black pepper sauce, roasted spiced pork tenderloin, and madeleines.

Something summery

2008-09-18T20:21:00.028-05:00

Tonight I came home from work and the weather was cool and breezy and lovely. I don't know about you but I am intensely looking forward to fall and even the slightest hint of a chill in the air makes me deliriously happy. We threw open all the windows and, suddenly, a gin-based drink sounded amazing. I couldn't understand why, until it dawned on me that the fragrance of nearby pine trees had drifted inside. My nose apparently likened the pine fragrance to juniper berries, which my brain interpreted to be a sly suggestion for a gin and tonic.

Unfortunately my brain's plan was thwarted because, although we have a very respectable amount of liquor on hand for non-cocktail drinkers, we are completely out of gin. I regrouped and played mixologist with what we did have on hand: passionfruit juice, sparkling water, limes, and a teeny splash of tequila.

(As a brief aside, have you ever tried Ceres juice? It's completely delicious, 100% juice that comes in amazing flavors like passionfruit and litchi. My favorite flavor is passionfruit and the best way to drink it is to add a splash to a glass of sparkling water.)

I am not a cocktail girl --the primary reason being that most are entirely too sweet and the secondary reason being that I am a notorious lightweight-- but I do love to make my own because I can go as light on the sweetness and alcohol as I like. That is, very light on the sugar, and usually light on the alcohol too. This concoction was decidedly summery, with its pale yellow hue and bright passionfruit flavor that so reminded me of Vietnam. Luckily, given Houston's climate, this is probably not the last appearance it will make this month!

Oh, and it was just fine with tequila. Nevertheless, my to-do list has one new item: Trip to Spec's for a fifth of Bombay Sapphire.

4 things to be happy about

2008-09-17T20:30:00.000-05:00

In no particular order:

1. Girl Talk is playing a show in Houston in October! He takes songs you know and love and blends everything seamlessly. Who'd have thought Tag Team, Kraftwerk, Lou Reed, Hot Chip, and Stardust/Alan Braxeall -- all in one song? Also, I can't help but love the musical stylings of a self-proclaimed "nerd by day" former engineer.

2. Cooler weather alone is something to get very excited about. But it also means I can break out my colored tights and boots. It is a little silly to be excited about legwear, I know, but I am unabashedly so.

3. Upcoming reunions with friends and family. We'll be in Chicago soon to visit friends and celebrate Mark's grandpa's 86th birthday. In October, my dear friend Nicole is coming to visit - I love having house guests! And then, hopefully, a nice visit with my parents in late October.

4. Loving my job.

Ike food: part 4

2008-09-17T17:24:00.000-05:00

Sunday morning. 7 AM. Saturday night reminded me of Father Justin's homily during our wedding, during which he commented that snuggling with your spouse must one of life's great joys -- unless it is hot, in which case all bets are off. I am seriously happy to wake up to cool temperatures and heavy rain, because sleeping in while it is raining is one of my favorite things ever. Never mind breakfast. Sleep.

10:30 AM. Coffee and leftover coffee cake. The pear I had planned to eat was squashed beyond recognition. Desperately hoping electricity would be restored. I make, I mean ask, Mark fan me with the top of the Scrabble box.

Lunch. Grilled Muenster cheese and tomato sandwiches. Handful of almonds. No power.

Early afternoon. Our friends who live nearby generously allowed us to come over to recharge our cell phones, laptops, and ourselves in the comfort of A/C. We left to go help a friend clean up her yard and, upon returning to our apartment, found power was restored. Hooray!

Evening. After reading online that many grocery stores won't have fresh food for awhile, I decide against running to the store for fresh ingredients. Dinner is very simple, homely, and restorative soup made of fava beans in their own broth, carrot, celery, garlic, chile, and a squeeze of lemon juice.

We ate our soup and drank wine and reflected on the weekend. We decided our first natural disaster experienced as a married couple was kind of nice, in its own way! We can depend on each other and work together to make anything fun. Next time, however, we will definitely have a battery-operated fan.

Ike food: part 3

2008-09-15T20:26:00.001-05:00

Saturday morning, very early. Major troubles are afoot. Trees are down everywhere we look, there is no power, water quality is suspect, and Mark can't get his trusty camping stove to work. The prospect of not having hot coffee is worrisome, not to mention all my romantic plans to use the camping stove to make hot food the rest of the weekend.

Of course, Mark comes through --I didn't doubt him for a second, except for the 10 minute period when the stove is sputtering and our apartment begins to smell strongly of gas. Thanks to my Eagle Scout husband, we have hot coffee and reheated waffles (made and frozen last weekend) for breakfast. We boil water on the stove and use a Vietnamese coffee filter to make very good, very strong coffee. After breakfast, we transfer all the perishable food and lots of ice blocks to a cooler.

Saturday, early afternoon. Morale is high, despite all the destruction outside. We slice into the bread Mark had baked on Thursday in especial preparation for hurricane sandwiches.

A stash of bacon, sprouts, and a tomato means we can make BLT's, mine smeared with harissa. Good with cold bottles of Czechvar beer.

Saturday, late afternoon. We move errant tree branches out of the street, sweep the common area free of debris and leaves, play cards, drink more beer, and spy on our neighbors to pass the time. Three mid-20s, cell phone salesmen types stroll to the pool, Miller Lights in hand, and blast their unfortunate taste in music (Nickleback, help). Like we aren't traumatized enough?

Saturday, evening. Morale is low. Hot. Muggy. We turn our energy to making dinner and happily realize our pantry allows us to make pasta puttanesca. We saute garlic and chile flakes in olive oil before adding canned tomatoes, anchovy paste, chopped olives, and capers. After the sauce has cooked down, it smells amazing and looks like this:

We toss the sauce with penne and drink a bottle of merlot. We watch the sun set. Afterwards, we eat blueberry frozen yogurt and play Scrabble by candelight. Houston has never been so dark, or so quiet.

Ike food: part 2

2008-09-15T10:00:00.005-05:00

Friday, early evening. Lights are flickering, but our power is hanging on. Mark decides it would be tragic to let 1 egg and 1 tub of sour cream go to waste. Thumbing through Joy of Cooking, he seizes on a recipe for coffee cake. He is perpetually searching for the mythical coffee cake of his youth, made with love by his grandmother. Joy's version is not it. Yet, with a hot cup of coffee, it is just the thing to soothe my worries as nearby tree branches whip around more forcefully than I am comfortable with.

Friday, late evening. Hurricane talk is dominating all the HD broadcasts (except for that terrible show with Charlie Sheen and Ducky from Pretty in Pink which, inexplicably, is on all the time). Something comforting is in order for dinner: basmati rice; curried butternut squash; corn sautéed with scallion, ginger, and coriander; and green beans sautéed with onion and cumin seeds. Heavy on the carbs is good for stress eating.

After a few glasses of Harpoon IPA, we go to bed, sated and ready for whatever Ike would bring us.

Recovering

2008-09-14T17:39:00.013-05:00

I have heard from many of you but, due to faulty cell phone networks, wasn't able to get in touch with everyone. I so appreciate your concern and I am happy to report that Mark and I are fine and our friends and family are safe. We were without power for less than 48 hours and had no major damage. We feel extraordinarily lucky to have been spared but are sad for our city and our neighborhood, which we love. Many members of our community were not so fortunate.

We awoke early Saturday morning to exploding transformers, showers of light, and the scary sound of electrical arcs. Here are some of the images we captured of our neighborhood Saturday afternoon after the winds and rain died down:

Despite the craziness of this storm, Mark and I had fun using our reserves and cooking meals on the camping stove from Mark's Eagle Scout days in Washington state. I'll be posting some of the pictures later.

Ike Food: part 1

2008-09-12T10:52:00.019-05:00

In the face of widespread power outages predicted for tonight, I woke up, called my family to let them know our plans, and put my energy towards creatively using up all the perishable food in our refrigerator and freezer. It has actually been pretty fun - who knew the french fries hiding behind our ice cube maker could be put to such good use? This is my first segment of what I'll call Ike Food, also known as living off our reserves.

We started with brunch. I took stock and found bacon, 4 eggs, frozen french fries (excellent to satiate midnight cravings), 1 red bell pepper, 1 onion, frozen berries, and limes.

The solution: French fry hash with chopped bell pepper and onion, seasoned with smoked hot paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper, and served with a fried egg and lots of homemade hot sauce. We usually do hash with regular potatoes or sweet potatoes, but the frozen french fries (baked, then chopped, then crisped in a skillet on the stove) worked pretty well. The potatoes were smoky and spicy and the peppers lent a touch of sweetness. You know the best part about a hash, right? Breaking the yolk and letting it mix with everything else. Diner food at its best.

Also, since school and work were canceled and we were potentially facing 80mph winds, peripheral tornadoes, falling pine trees, and the possibility of not having coffee tomorrow morning... making frozen margaritas seemed to be as good an idea as any! I make margaritas with equal parts lime juice, good tequila, and triple sec and, this time, I topped off the blender with ice and all of our frozen blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Excessive? Yes. But so delicious.

As long as we have internet access, I'll be posting our food adventures. We still have butternut squash, corn, green beans, sour cream, bacon, tomatoes, cheese, and other items to use up... can we do it??

I do not like Ike

2008-09-12T10:11:00.007-05:00

For anyone sheltering in Houston during Hurricane Ike, be safe! We are prepared: water, canned food, peanut butter, flashlight, Scrabble, and of course enough beer and wine to last a fortnight.

Last night the mood in Houston was absolutely electric. We went out for dinner with our friend Brandon and tossed back many a frozen margarita in the midst of a restaurant packed with giddy kids and adults buzzing about Ike. That is not to say that Houston is not taking this hurricane seriously - just nervously anticipating his effects. To all my Houston friends, stay safe and keep your families safe.

chocolate chip cookie emergency? look no further

2008-09-05T19:35:00.018-05:00

No, I didn't drop off the edge of the planet: I made a quick trip to visit my family and started my new job (which is going really great so far!). I have been adapting to my new schedule (i.e. joining all of you productive members of society in arising before 9AM) and blogging has taken a back seat. But, in a sneaky ploy to regain your attention, I'm going to have to resort to this:

I am 100% certain that posting my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe is probably quite unnecessary, given that everyone should already have their favorite version memorized or at least copied in a safe place. (If you already have your own recipe, feel free to ignore me.) But. If you are making your way through life without a ridiculously good chocolate chip cookie recipe, this is just for you.

Until last year, I was one of those people who relied on Nestle Tollhouse's wan, boring, inexplicably ubiquitous cookies for my fix. Thank goodness for my sister, is all I have to say. She brought these cookies to share with Mark and me and I am not exaggerating when I say I was gobsmacked by how great they were. These were the chocolate chip cookies of my dreams, the kind you wish were cooling on a rack when you got home from school (or work) on a bad day: chewy, chubby, tons of caramelized brown sugar flavor, and kissed with enough salt that the chocolate tastes richer.

You need more good news? They are a snap to make. Using an electronic scale (hooray for baking by weight!) and our stand mixer, I can have the dough ready in 5-6 minutes. With the baking time at 18 minutes, you could be eating warm cookies with a glass of milk in less than half an hour. Seriously.

Great Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from David Lebovitz)
Yields about 20 cookies.

My main tweak to this incredible recipe is to double the salt. I also omit the nuts because they don't do anything for me.

Oh, and despite my statement that you could have cookies ready in 30 minutes, well, I have another tiny piece of advice. Wait. Based on a recent NYTimes article, we have started to let our dough rest overnight. The article advances the opinion that letting the dough rest overnight allows the flour to better absorb all the liquid and makes for better texture and flavor. We have tried this a few times and I completely agree: they are worth the wait.

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (120 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) (115 grams) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch (1cm) pieces
1 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (200 grams) semisweet chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet for extra chocolate punch, but semisweet is great too - sweeter and less intense)
1 cup (130 grams) walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped (optional)

Adjust the oven rack to the top 1/3 of the oven and preheat to 300F. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone sheets.

Beat the sugars and butters together until smooth. Mix in the egg, vanilla, and baking soda. Stir together the flour and salt, then mix them into the batter. Mix in the chocolate chips and nuts, if using.

Refrigerate dough overnight, up to 36 hours, if desired. When ready to bake, remove dough from refrigerator. You may need to let it rest 10-20 minutes until it is scoopable, but avoid letting it get too warm.

Scoop the cookie dough into 2-tablespoon (5cm) balls and place 8 balls, spaced 4 inches (10cm) apart, on each of the baking sheets.

Bake for 18 minutes, or until pale golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Comfort me with frozen yogurt

2008-08-27T22:54:00.013-05:00

You know yesterday was a terrible day when I was not even remotely embarrassed when I dissolved in tears in the middle of the busybusy Atlanta airport. I won't get into my frustration but, seriously, the abysmal food options in terminal D did not help one bit. I am one of those people who brings lots of snacks when I travel (yesterday I brought toasted pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, and homemade spice cookies) but naturally my supplies had dwindled greatly after a 6 hour wait.

The worst part is that I tortured myself needlessly by thinking about how well we have been eating lately -- kale and tomato frittata, smoky grilled lamb kofta, babaghanoush, homemade bread, zucchini carpaccio, creamy pasta with kale and garbanzo beans, and really ridiculously good chocolate chip cookies that I keep meaning to tell you all about.

But most of all, I was thinking about my nectarine frozen yogurt. I was in such a terrible mood yesterday, oh, just cranky and mad and a little mean-spirited, but I honestly believe that nectarine frozen yogurt would have made it all -at least a little- better.

I became smitten with plain frozen yogurt earlier this summer but the nectarine version is just as lovable. And if you love the fragrance and feel of fresh stone fruit as much as I do, it is such a pleasure to make - and the process is a snap. Peel and cut 4 large nectarines into chunks, toss the juicy flesh with sugar and orange liqueur, and blend. As you can see, I neglected to peel the nectarines beforehand and opted to push the puree through a sieve.

The resulting nectarine puree is perfectly fragrant and luscious and the most beautiful shade of summer orange you can imagine. See?

Now, the fun part: Swirl the puree into 2 cups of whole Greek yogurt and sneak a taste: the hue has been tamed but the flavor is rounder, smoother. Run it through the ice cream maker and the result is creamy, tangy and -the best part- pure nectarine flavor. Wow!

Nectarine frozen yogurt (adapted from David Lebovitz)

The secret to this is to use outstanding, fresh, this side of ripe, peak-of-the-season fruit. The primary flavor is the nectarine so you'll probably be disappointed if you use flat-tasting fruit. This was the first time I used alcohol in frozen yogurt, by the way, and I was pleased with the extra scoopability it brought to the table.

4 nectarines, or about 2 pounds
3/4 cup sugar plus more to taste, if desired
3 teaspoons orange liqueur (I used Cointreau)
2 cups plain Greek yogurt

Peel nectarines and cut into chunks. Toss fruit in a medium bowl with the sugar and orange liqueur. At this point you can cover the bowl and let the fruit sit for about an hour, stirring every so often, or you can simply move on to the next step. Macerating the fruit will bring out more flavor, but I am comfortable skipping this step if the fruit is amazing.
Transfer the fruit mixture to a blender and pulse until the mixture is smooth. Add yogurt and blend again. Taste the yogurt mixture to determine if the mixture is sweet enough for your tastes. I always err on the low side because I don't like anything too sweet. Just remember that the sweetness will always lessen when you freeze the yogurt.
At this point, you can chill the yogurt mixture for 1 hour before freezing it, or you can simply pour it into your ice cream maker right away, per your manufacturer's instructions.

Houston eats: Korean food

2008-08-23T23:43:00.027-05:00

Friday was a red-letter day. I got a really great job offer as a research analyst and I am accepting it! Hooray for gainful employment, exciting new opportunities, and Houston's robust job market!

To celebrate, we went out for Korean food. I absolutely love Korean food and always have trouble choosing between my favorite dishes. Ultimately, Mark convinced me we hadn't been eating enough meat lately and so we had great fun cooking marinated short ribs (wang kalbi, I think) on our tabletop gas grill.

Usually, the meat is marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, scallions, and sugar. My friend Grace also told me almost everyone has their own secret ingredient to tenderize the meat.

Ideally, you get this amazing, juicy piece of beef that is sweet, savory, juicy, and smoky. I love to wrap the meat inside a lettuce leaf, with a spoonful of hot rice, a dollop of chile bean paste, and extra scallions.

The other fun thing about Korean food is the banchan: little dishes that accompany the main event. Probably the most famous banchan is kimchi, or fermented spicy cabbage or radish. I'd say kimchi is an acquired taste but I personally can't say no to its alluringly spicy and funky flavor.

Yesterday they served us kimchi, pickled zucchini, cold boiled bean sprouts with sesame oil, sweet and sour wakame seaweed, fish cakes, spicy potatoes, tofu, and sweet dried fish. In general, I couldn't be happier when my meals consist of lots of small dishes, particularly when the dishes all have wonderfully different flavors and textures.

As for the restaurant, the meat was of good quality, but I was disappointed by the banchan, which didn't taste quite as good as usual. Several new Korean restaurants have opened in the area so I think we'll try a different place next time.

Korean food is a fun date if you both are adventurous and love to eat, but I have to warn you that you inevitably leave the restaurant smelling all smoky and meaty. Hey, it could be a turn-on for some people!

Arirang
9715 Bellaire Blvd
Houston TX

Nectarine love

2008-08-21T13:08:00.014-05:00

Incredible bargains on fragrant nectarines were had and now we have more than we can eat! After we get our fill of eating them out of hand, I'm thinking nectarine frozen yogurt. Macerated nectarines with loosely whipped cream and crumbled molasses spice cookies. Nectarine tart. What else sounds good?

I had to take another picture of this unique milk glass bowl, a gift from my grandmother. She said milk glass was fairly inexpensive and common back in her heyday but it is becoming more of a collectors' thing. I saw some really lovely Fenton Hobnail bowls at an antique shop in the Heights on my last visit. That stuff is not cheap! I'm on the lookout for a milk glass cake stand.

Recipes: yellow rice with peas and whole spices

2008-08-21T12:15:00.007-05:00

I am a rice person. I think this can be attributed to the fact that one of my first solid foods was chao (also known as congee or jook), which is simply rice simmered slowly in lots of water to make a thin porridge. Rice -in practically any form- is comfort food to me. (I add the qualifier because I don't hold with any kind of parboiled, instant, or partially boiled rice - the texture is bad and it just tastes wrong and I plain don't get it. Rice snob alert!)

I was the kind of kid who fretted about staying home from school (didn't want to miss anything!) but I loved, loved the simple chicken and rice soup flavored with a knob of ginger and lots of freshly ground black pepper that my mom would always make when someone fell sick. I think a big part of the recovery process was simply the smell of chicken bones and aromatics simmering on the stove, not to mention the incredible love and care she put into making the soup. To this day, I call my mom when I feel sick and say (pitifully, probably) how much I wish she was here to make me her special soup.

So, all that to say that, for me, a bowl of rice is not a simple or mundane thing. Not at all! I eat it and am instantly reminded of childhood and I get this rush of feelings of comfort and love and memories of my mom. Doesn't it make sense now why I love rice? (I can't say if that's why I went to Rice but anything is possible.)

Here is one of my favorite rice recipes, an Indian-inspired dish that is good on its own or as a side dish. Last night I ate this with eggs scrambled with chiles, tomato, and cilantro.

Yellow rice with peas, carrots, and whole spices
inspired by many delicious South Indian meals shared with my friend Sravanya and her family

I adore yellow rice flavored with turmeric or saffron if I'm feeling flush. This dish is really simple and fragrant and, although it uses some unusual spices, the flavor is subtle. Notes: Use good basmati rice for this. Also, warn your dining companions about the whole spices.

2 tablespoons butter or oil (vegetable or olive should work)
5 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
5 cardamom pods
2 cups long-grain rice, such as Basmati
1 medium carrot, diced
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 scant teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups water
1 cup frozen peas

Heat butter or oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan with over medium heat.
Add cloves, cinnamon stick, and cardamom pods. Stir until spices are fragrant, less than a minute.
Add the rice, diced carrot, coriander, turmeric, cumin, and salt. Stir, coating the rice well with the butter and spices.
Add 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover (use a tightly fitting lid), and turn heat to low.
Cook 20 minutes. Check consistency of rice. If the rice seems dry and undercooked, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and let it simmer about 5 more minutes before checking again. If there seems to be too much water, replace the cover and let it cook 5 more minutes before checking again. Repeat as necessary.
Add frozen peas on top of rice and replace cover. Cook about 5 minutes longer or until peas are soft and cooked.

Evening jaunt to the farmer's market and beyond

2008-08-19T21:47:00.002-05:00

The farmer's market closest to us, while not the best or biggest, has nice vendors and lots of cute dogs roaming about. Today I sampled goat's milk Camembert (runny and really intense) and a chocolate scone (not bad), and I talked to the knife sharpening guy about the best way to sharpen our Shun. I also picked up these chile peppers, having made up my mind to make spicy noodles with eggplant and tofu for dinner.

After the market, I marveled at the beautiful weather (thanks to a few afternoon showers) and took a walk in our neighborhood.

I love this succulent (and the free-spirited landscaper who planted it) ...

... but this path is always my hands-down favorite part of our neighborhood:

A la recherche du temps perdu

2008-08-19T16:16:00.002-05:00

The September issue of Gourmet is out and it is all about Paris! These pictures made me very happy. If you love France like I do and want to be happy and hungry, I suggest you go look at them right away. They remind me of my carefree days spent consuming as much cheese, pastry, red wine, and confit de canard as possible, knowing the French paradox (and daily 7 mile walks) was on my side.

And, just for fun, here is one of my favorite spots in Paris to share an impromptu picnic and bottle of wine: le Pont des Arts.

Photo from Ngoc Minh Ngo's beautiful portfolio.

Flax seed sandwich loaf

2008-08-19T10:45:00.000-05:00

Our 4th (or 5th?) attempt at one of Rose Levy Berenbaum's bread recipes, this loaf has whole wheat flour, unbleached all-purpose flour, rye flour, and ground flax seeds.

I feel like a proud parent overlooking my child's flaws but look how charmingly it leans to the left. I have to say, I really love the imperfections and finicky nature of home baked bread. It makes it more fun.

We let it rise for an extra 2 hours, is the explanation. In lieu of baking the bread, we went out for Tex-Mex with our friend Ilan (irresponsible parenting? maybe). It puffed up alarmingly high in the oven but turned out fine in the end.

Oh, and my review: Excellent, complex flavor. The crumb is soft and a little springy, with a nice firm texture, especially when compared to the dry, cardboard texture of some store bought whole wheat bread. Great toasted (especially if smeared with butter and Bonne Maman Quatre Fruits.) Should make delicious sandwiches.

Collecting things

2008-08-19T10:02:00.001-05:00

This beautiful photo of someone's mug collection so reminds me of my grandmother, who absolutely loved to collect and display things. How fun would it be to pick your mug off the wall every morning?

My grandmother's house was full of personality, from her collections of miniature spoons, to her collections of crystal figurines, to her collections of hot air balloon paraphernalia, to her collection of clocks. She also displayed old family photographs everywhere. You could just tell she loved to surround herself with people and things she loved. What a wonderful philosophy to have when decorating your home!

Morning scenes

2008-08-18T07:31:00.000-05:00

My beloved Gaggia espresso machine has been on the blink for the past few months. Seems it was just in need of a good, thorough cleaning because now it is running again!

Thanks to Mark for healing my Gaggia. His reward: beautiful shots of espresso with lots of crema.

This morning we felt like getting some extra calcium, hence the caffe lattes below:

Hearth bread

2008-08-17T16:26:00.003-05:00

Mark's weekend masterpiece:

Delicious, crusty, chewy and sooo good with a smear of cold butter.

Recipes: seasonal desserts

2008-08-17T14:53:00.024-05:00

With all the molasses, brown sugar, and warm spices, these cookies would be especially well-suited to a crisp autumn day. I respectfully submit, however, that it is not so ridiculous to enjoy them on a hot day in Houston --especially if, like me, you are fervently wishing summer's sultry heat would just end already.

The really great thing about these cookies, though? Their crispy, chewy texture and wonderful spiciness lend themselves equally well to an autumn-friendly apple cider or to the most summery ice cream of them all. Peach ice cream, anyone? The fragrant Texas peaches at the market were seriously begging to be swirled into honey ice cream. Happy to oblige.

Sugar-Topped Molasses Spice Cookies (via Dorie Greenspan)

I love the look of these cookies - slim, round, dark, and crackly topped from the sugar you roll them in just before baking. I am also a huge fan of coarsely ground black pepper on almost everything, and Dorie Greenspan calls for a big pinch of it in the cookies. The other nice thing about the dough is that you can stash it in the freezer for up to 2 months.

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (339 grams)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Pinch of coarsely ground black pepper
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar (217 grams)
1/2 cup molasses (not blackstrap) (161 grams)
1 large egg
About 1/2 cup sugar, for rolling

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and pepper.
Working with a stand mixer (or hand mixer in large bowl), beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar and molasses and beat for about 2 minutes to blend, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the egg and beat for 1 minute more.
Reduce mixer speed to low and add dry ingredients, mixing until the flour and spices disappear. If some flour remains in the bottom of the bowl, mix in the last of the dry ingredients by hand with a rubber spatula (to avoid overmixing the dough). You should have a smooth, very soft dough.
Divide the dough in half and wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Freeze for 30 minutes, or refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
Place the sugar in a small bowl. Working with one packet of dough at a time, divide into 12 pieces and roll each piece into a smooth ball between your palms. One by one, roll the balls around in the bowl of sugar, then place them on the baking sheet. Dip the bottom of a glass into the sugar and use it to press down on the cookies until they are between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick.
Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the tops feel set to the touch.
Remove from the oven and, the cookies have spread and are touching, use a metal spatula to separate the cookies while they are still hot. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool to room temperature.
Repeat with the second batch of dough.

Honey Peach Ice Cream (via Dorie Greenspan)

The lovely and well-balanced trio of honey, peaches, and vanilla makes for an extremely satisfying ice cream cone. Dorie calls for adding small chunks of peaches to the ice cream as it churns in the machine but, as I don't like how hard the peach chunks get after freezing, we added less diced peaches than she called for. Next time I make this, we will cook and puree all the peaches, omitting diced peaches altogether.

4 large ripe peaches (about 2 pounds, peeled and pitted)
1/4 cup honey
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Coarsely chop 2 of the peaches into 1/2 inch chunks and toss them into a small saucepan. Add the honey and bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the peaches are soft by not mushy. This took about 8 minutes on our stove.
Scrape the mixture into a blender or food processor and whir to puree. Set aside.
Bring the milk and cream to a boil in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan.
Meanwhile, whisk the yolks and sugar together until very well blended and just thickened. Still whisking, drizzle in about 1/3 of the hot liquid. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remaining liquid. Pour the custard back into the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring without stopping, until the custard thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon. Dorie says, if you run your finger down the bowl of the spoon, the custard should not run into the track. The custard should reach at least 170F, but no more than 180F, on an instant-read thermometer. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the custard into a 2-quart glass measuring cup or clean heatproof bowl. Stir in the vanilla and peach puree.
Refrigerate the custard until chilled before churning it into ice cream.
Scrape the custard into the bowl of an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. While the ice cream is churning, finely dice the remaining peaches and, just before the ice cream is thickened and redy, add the peaches and churn to blend. Pack the ice cream into a container and freeze at least 2 hours, until firm enough to scoop.

Things that make me happy right now

2008-08-15T16:57:00.008-05:00

Grueling afternoon of job interviews is OVER.

Mark is making me a special dinner (I know there is homemade bread and dessert involved - what more do you need, really?) just because.

It is Friday. Hooray!

To do: throw a food party

2008-08-14T20:37:00.010-05:00

This past week has been terrible. In the span of 4 days, I had to say goodbye to my family, my dear friends in Alabama, and our friend Jyoti who moved away! I am so over goodbyes. I have also been stressing about a full afternoon of job interviews tomorrow.

During a much-needed Internet break, I came across the below photo. As soon as I saw it, I started dreaming of a carefree, end-of-summer shindig. I love the turquoise table runner and the pop of color from the red vase/flowers! Simple, a bit rustic, and pretty.

I can't help but think about Tex-Mex food. This sounds just about perfect: pitchers of puckery margaritas and maybe micheladas, warm and chewy corn tortillas, a few different homemade salsas and guacamole, a spicy corn and black bean salad, and platters of carnitas and grilled vegetables. Oh, and for dessert ... freshly churned Mexican vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce (spiked with a little chile?).

Photo via Martha Stewart.

Today's pleasures

2008-08-12T11:42:00.019-05:00

The perfect summer sandwich:

1. Toast two slices of good, crusty bread.
2. Thinly slice a ripe avocado and tomatoes that smell like sun and grass.
3. Smear bread with tangy, cooling Greek yogurt and spicy, salty harissa.
4. Layer tomatoes, avocado, and a pile of sprouts on bread.
5. Eat blissfully.

My favorite salad ever

2008-08-11T22:37:00.002-05:00

I feel happier when my meals are colorful. Besides being aesthetically pleasing, colorful meals are usually a sign that you're getting lots of nutrients.

On this basis, this Vietnamese-inspired cabbage salad is my favorite salad ever. Ever!

This brightly flavored salad has a lot going for it, besides its good looks. Lime, garlic, sugar, fish sauce, cilantro, mint, and jalapeño make a brilliant, balanced combination of sour, sweet, tangy, and spicy. And it's crunchy, of course, like any good slaw, thanks to the purple cabbage, carrot, and cucumber.

Are there any fish sauce neophytes? Fish sauce is used mainly in Thai and Vietnamese cooking and is a translucent, amber-colored sauce made of fermented fish. To me, fish sauce is just another ingredient, like balsamic vinegar or soy sauce, but I realize most people dislike the smell of unadulterated fish sauce and may be scared to douse their salad with reckless abandon. But think of it this way: Fish sauce adds balance and tons of flavor, much like mashed anchovies (or anchovy paste) adds balance and depth to Caesar salad dressing, or like Worcestershire sauce (which also has anchovies in it) adds flavor to ground beef for burgers. It's all about balancing flavors.

By the way, most grocery stores carry Thai Kitchen brand fish sauce, which is pretty low-key in funk as far as fish sauce goes. Look for amber-colored fish sauce with three ingredients (fish, water, salt).

Vietnamese-inspired cabbage salad (adapted from Orangette)

This salad partners unbelievably well with grilled meats, like chicken or beef. I have also added shredded grilled chicken to the slaw and, for leftovers, it is tops!

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as canola or grapeseed
4 cups thinly sliced purple cabbage
1/2 cup julienned carrot
1/2 cup julienned English cucumber
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

Whisk together the vinegar, sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, and oil in a bowl large enough to contain all the ingredients.
In a very large bowl, whisk together the chiles, garlic, sugar, vinegar, lime juice, fish sauce, and oil.
Add the purple cabbage, carrot, cucumber, and a few grinds of fresh black pepper. Toss to coat with the dressing.
Add the cilantro and mint and toss to mix.

To do: re-organize my jewelry

2008-08-06T12:24:00.011-05:00

What a simple, lovely way to display and organize your baubles. Measure velvet fabric to fit inside a drawer or on a tray and use china cups and saucers to store individual pieces of jewelry. I love how the drop earrings are hooked on the rims of the teacups.

My mom has gifted me with an assortment of bone china pieces she picked up at estate sales and thrift stores, so I will definitely be re-organizing my jewelry collection when I get home. I wish I hadn't just packed up all the pieces in tissue paper but, trust me, they are great!

Via Blueprint.

Inspiration: pretty Vietnamese food party

2008-08-05T19:37:00.006-05:00

I just spent 20 minutes looking through photographer Ngoc Minh Ngo's beautiful portfolio. One of my favorite shots: what appears to be a Vietnamese outdoor lunch, complete with rice paper, rice noodles, nuoc mam, and whole fish.

I need those hot pink chopsticks. What a fun shot.

Inspired

2008-08-04T23:07:00.017-05:00

This evening I was browsing through our photos of Vietnam and realized I hadn't shared two of my favorite photos.

First, a gorgeous tile floor in the formal entryway of an old home in Hoi An:

Next, a photo of the teal and cream tile floor in a restaurant in Hoi An:

It sounds silly but there is something about that beautiful tile that makes me yearn to escape, live in a villa on the Vietnamese coast, and just cook, learn from local cooks, and cook some more. It's funny, because the pictures are not that great! But I see them ... and I remember the simple pleasures of that day, taking refuge from the heat in that colorful restaurant, as I sipped a cafe sua da with my new husband ... The ineffable joys of travel and memories, I suppose.

Adventures at the flea market

2008-08-03T20:37:00.027-05:00

Me: Mark, do you want to go to the flea market with me?
Mark: No way.

*10 minutes later*
Me: Hey, this magazine article says the flea market has funnel cake.
Mark: I'm coming.

20 minutes later? Happiness is a mound of fried dough, hidden under an avalanche of powdered sugar.

Unfortunately, the funnel cake was the only thing the flea market had going for it. My ongoing search for vintage Pyrex was woefully unsuccessful. I am such a fan of vintage Pyrex! Check out the Flickr PyrexLove pool.

My favorites are the mixing bowls and the refrigerator dishes, especially the refrigerator dishes, because containers with glass lids for food storage are the best (no plastic leaching into your food). I have been meaning to check out some of the vintage shops near my parents' house, so maybe I'll have better luck this week.

Birthday Pizza: Part 2

2008-08-03T19:45:00.008-05:00

Since I know you are all on the edges of your seats wondering about how our pizza turned out, I'll spare you the suspense and confirm it was totally delicious.

I used Rose Levy Berenbaum's recipe for pizza dough. Our normal dough recipe, from a random but awesome cookbook we picked up while we were in Italy, yields a super thin, crisp pizza, which is what I'm always looking for. We all agreed that RLB's dough has great flavor and texture but a) it is a bit tricky to work with and b) is a little thicker than I like. However, my mom and brother prefer a very bready pizza, so this pizza was a good compromise.

Our first pizza, with cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, Italian sausage, basil (and no tomato sauce):

My brother is of the "pile as many toppings on your pizza as possible" school, as you can see; his pie had tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, mushrooms, tons of sausage, red onion, and basil.

After the first two pizzas, I stopped taking pictures because everyone was wolfing down the pizza too quickly. Such is life.

By the way, pizza is one of my favorite, favorite ways to entertain friends who love food as much as we do. Buy wine, lots of pizza toppings, and spend the evening inventing pizzas. I mean, it is still fun and delicious if your friends don't love food... but I'll admit I was a little disappointed that my brother preferred shredded mozzarella to the burrata, didn't care that the burrata was from a buffalo, and was not at all interested in putting arugula on his pizza. We are sooo different.

Preparing for a birthday dinner

2008-08-01T15:07:00.016-05:00

Today is my mom's birthday - happy birthday Mom!!! She is an amazing lady: hilarious (usually unintentionally so), very smart, and hard working. She also has an incredible treasure trove of adventure stories under her belt, like when she accidentally came under the protection of an organized crime boss or how she escaped from Vietnam. Wow! But I'm saving all those for an eventual book, so I won't give away anything... for now.

Since my mom is not a fan of birthday cake, I made an ice cream pie, inspired by Mark's grandpa's favorite summer dessert (more on this later). But first, we'll be rolling out lots of thin crust pizzas with a variety of different toppings: fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, banana peppers (hot!), Italian sausage, fennel, red onion, basil... oh, and anchovies, by special request from my mom.

I made the pizza dough a few hours ago and it is rising, rising ... slooowly rising. Just like my level of excitement about constructing a blistery crusted pizza with milky mozzarella, sweet cherry tomatoes, and fragrant basil. And maybe some fennel-y Italian sausage. I love sausage so very much.

Have a great weekend!

Things I love today: Mamma Mia style

2008-07-31T14:56:00.016-05:00

Last night my brother and I went to see Mamma Mia and it was super fun! The camp factor was ridiculously high but I wouldn't have expected anything less; this is a musical movie based on ABBA songs, after all. If you can ignore the weak plot and Pierce Brosnan's singing (distractingly bad), I promise it is quite enjoyable if you like breezy summer romances set to ABBA songs.

The best part about the movie was that it was visually amazing (and I'm not talking about adorable Colin Firth who is so funny and cute in this movie). I actually thought the movie was worth watching just for fun music and the really beautiful use of color and inspiring design.

Practically every scene is resplendent with pretty, breezy printed fabrics in vibrant colors and patterns: stripes, florals, folky embroidery. I did a little research and found that most of the fabrics were from Swedish designer Josef Frank. Two gorgeous prints:

I especially loved the bachelorette party and wedding scenes, set after sunset on an open terrace with tons of lit lanterns, flowers, and guests in brightly colored clothing. The entire movie provides major inspiration for a really fun, alcohol soaked, crazy dancing, carefree party! Something to keep in mind for our next shindig...

Blueberry sauce makes me anything but blue

2008-07-29T12:50:00.018-05:00

What is the best part about summer? The sultry weather, the possibility of weekend getaways to the mountains or the lake or the beach, the outdoor parties, the floaty dresses? I love all those things. But I also can never get enough of the ripe summer fruit!

This week has been replete with blueberrries. One of my favorite things to do with blueberries (aside from eating them plain, of course) is to make a blueberry sauce. Next time you make pancakes or waffles, can I recommend you give the maple syrup a break and try a blueberry sauce?

I can never get very excited about maple syrup but, fruit sauce, now that I adore. In particular, blueberry sauce is ever so satisfying - for its tangy sweetness and that gorgeous deep blue-purple color. And I love to leave the berries whole for the lovely burst of juice when you bite (although you could puree the sauce, or even push it through a fine sieve, if you like).

This week's use of blueberry sauce has included the following:

drizzled on Sunday morning pancakes;
smeared on warm, tender biscuits; and
stirred into creamy, thick Greek yogurt.

Hello best blueberry yogurt ever.

Blueberry Sauce (adapted from Epicurious)

Good on pancakes, waffles, ice cream, pound cake, biscuits, yogurt, in a parfait with whipped cream and crushed amaretti cookies... The possibilities are practically endless!

1/2 - 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 TB cornstarch
1/2 cup water
3 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries, picked over
zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Add cornstarch, water, and 1/2 cup of sugar in medium sized saucepan and whisk until smooth.
Stir in blueberries and place saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the mixture thickens and some of the blueberries start to break down.
Stir in the lemon zest and juice.
Taste the sauce; if the sauce is not sweet enough for your tastes, add an additional 1/4 cup sugar until you are satisfied. You can also add additional water if you prefer a thinner consistency.

Makes 3 cups (which only seems like a lot).

Inspired: dot painted china

2008-07-29T10:55:00.008-05:00

In My Antonia (one of my favorite, favorite books by the way) by Willa Cather, one of the characters hand paints china. If I recall correctly, she paints her husband's shaving mug with violets and lilies.

I don't think Mark would like it if I painted violets or lilies on the white bowl he uses to make shaving foam. But I do like the idea of painting leaves or florals on our white porcelain plates. But is it too girlie or precious? Will I tire of it? Am I willing to risk our plates potentially look like a 5 year old's art project? Hmm, decisions to be made.

I do like the blue on white though. Maybe I'll just start with dessert plates. I also like the idea of displaying hand-painted china on the wall, especially if they turned out this cute.

Blurbing away the time

2008-07-28T18:37:00.015-05:00

I am finally close to finishing the Blurb photobook of our wedding. (Still haven't started the honeymoon book... sigh.) I did a lot of research about photobooks and decided on Blurb for a few reasons, one being that most reviews rave about their books having high print quality and a beautiful, sleek look. I am hoping that Blurb - with its reasonably priced 11x13 hardcover books with dust jacket - will deliver. Something.

Silly me, I thought it would be a breeze to pick out my favorite photos, arrange them using the software, and say, Blurb, MAKE MY BOOK! Yeah... now I know why the cost of wedding albums is what it is. So ridiculously time-consuming. Also, how could it be a breeze to pick out my favorite photos when I love them all? That's what you get when you have an amazing photographer I guess.

Here are some of the pages I have made so far.

The cover:

Two-page spread of the bouquet tossing. I love these; my sister is trying her best to get away from the spinning bouquet at all costs and my friend Elvia is hurtling towards the bouquet like a bat out of hell.

(As always, you can click on the photos to see larger images.)

Hopefully I can finish this baby while I still have free time here at my parents' house. Then I think I will leave the honeymoon book to Mark.

More summer desserts

2008-07-24T20:58:00.013-05:00

Seriously regret not bringing our ice cream maker with us to my parents' house. Trying not to think about my beloved frozen yogurt, chocolate sorbet, or mint chocolate chunk ice cream... trying so hard.

In other, non-frozen treat related news, today I decided to make another no-bake fruit tart. Did I mention I made a strawberry tart last week? It was good too but I forgot to take a picture. Sorry!

This afternoon I was, let's see, simultaneously dying of heat exhaustion, eating a hot dog, and dreaming about dessert. I thought about yesterday's Minimalist column and decided, hey, why not make a dessert that requires only a little bit of mixing (mascarpone, cream cheese, vanilla, sugar, and lemon zest), a little bit of smoothing (into a graham cracker crust), and a little bit of garnishing (with fresh, beautiful strawberries and blueberries)?

For about 2 seconds I considered making the crust from scratch. But because I felt unabashedly lazy today, that thought evaporated into nothing more than a good intention. And you know what? I can totally condone using a store bought crust in this case; this dessert is homey and satisfying and is not trying to be fancy. This is a tart you could serve to your family and friends and enjoy just because the fruit is flavorful, the creamy filling is sweet and a little lemony, and you didn't have to turn on the stove, oven, stand mixer, or food processor and make a big mess.

And I like that.

Berry Tart with Cream Cheese/Mascarpone Filling (inspired by Mark Bittman)

MB uses ricotta and honey in his version, whereas I decided to use mascarpone and plain old refined sugar. For my money, mascarpone has a much richer flavor and decidedly smoother texture.

1 8-ounce container mascarpone cheese
8 ounces of cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
zest of one small lemon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pint berries (strawberries, blueberries, etc.) or any other seasonal fruit
1 9 inch graham cracker crust

Prepare graham cracker crust (pre-bake only if desired). Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl and mix until creamy and smooth. Spread cream cheese mixture into crust, carefully and evenly. Arrange any combination of thinly sliced fruit or berries on top in any manner that pleases you. Refrigerate at least 2 hours prior to eating.

Inspired: the joys of rubber stamps

2008-07-23T13:07:00.012-05:00

I thought of my beloved late Grandma today when I saw this fun project on Design*Sponge. My Grandma was a crafting fanatic and introduced me to rubber stamping, scrapbooking, and the love of crafting in general.

My grandma was a huge inspiration to me: she was super independent, smart, funny, and creative. She discovered the joys of the Internet and crafting late in life -- but I think retired life was richer and a lot more fun as a result of it.

How I would love to have been able to make a custom stamped set of tea towels for her! Maybe with these sweet homemade blueberry stamps from Martha Stewart:

Punishment for losing

2008-07-22T20:09:00.009-05:00

Final Score:

Mark: 309
Kim: 301

If I were a samurai I would have committed hara-kari rather than accept my first Scrabble defeat at the hands of Mark. Maybe public humiliation will prevent this from ever happening again.

Today's pleasures

2008-07-22T15:31:00.006-05:00

Putting a smile on my face:

Afternoon coffee using my great-grandmother's china.
This pillow project via Martha Stewart.
My brother coming home!

Having a Mad Men moment

2008-07-21T17:20:00.011-05:00

Mad Men is so smart and fun to watch. Love the not-so subtle social critique, the complex characters, the well-written story, and the perspective on the 1960s. And I love love the visually arresting details, by which I mean the furniture, the clothes, the hair, the accessories, the style.

Madison Avenue may have been overrun with racist, sexist, anti-Semitic, philandering, alcoholic advertising men and their secretaries/playthings, but at least they all knew how to dress!

I wouldn't want to squeeze myself into Joan's sleek, fitted, brightly colored sheaths and super high heels but how incredible does she look? I love her done hair, brooches, and simple silhouettes. Why does everyone seem to look to skinny minnies like Angelina Jolie for womanly beauty?

While the women look great, the looks are not something I'd want to adopt myself. (Conical bras and hoop skirts? Please.) However, I am a fan of the classic, ultra-stylish looks on the men. Skinny lapels, narrow ties, crisp dress shirts (Don Draper shows the perfect amount of cuff), always cuff links and pocket squares and tie tacks, hats (did you know JFK was the first President to not wear a hat?), and perfectly tailored pants - the cuffs hit in exactly the right place.

The show doesn't idealize the 1960s and neither will I. I'm glad I didn't live in the world portrayed in Mad Men - but I do love watching it.

Recipes: chocolate pudding

2008-07-20T13:15:00.010-05:00

I am obsessed with whipped cream. I like to make it the old-fashioned way, in a big pyrex bowl with a whisk and some elbow grease.

As a kid I never cared for the Cool Whip variety and assumed all whipped cream was the same: flat flavor, almost greasy texture. Then I met Mark. Mark and I keep an ongoing list of foods and flavors I introduced to him, and those that he introduced to me, and the list of foods I showed him is way longer. But. The boy introduced me to the delights of real whipped cream and, consequently, a whole lifetime of enjoying desserts. The pure flavor and surprisingly light texture of just whipped cream is unparalleled in my book.

Given the heat here, I've been racking my brain (and del.icio.us tags) for easy summer desserts that a) would be delicious with some homemade whipped cream and (b) don't require hours in front of the stove or oven. For those of you in a similar predicament, can I strongly suggest you make some chocolate pudding?

(picture via Flickr; check out her other food pictures too! I am sad to report that the chocolate pudding I made was very beautiful - but we were in such a hurry to polish it off that I never had a chance to take pictures.)

My beloved Baking by Dorie Greenspan has a recipe for chocolate pudding but I was turned off by the necessity of a food processor and the long ingredient list. I looked elsewhere for an unfussy recipe that would result in an indulgent, but not too rich, pudding.

Luckily for me, a recipe (Scharffenberger via Wednesday Chef) I had tagged eons ago was just sitting in my del.icio.us account waiting for me to pay attention. The result of about 20 minutes of whisking was silky, voluptuous chocolate pudding - just what I wanted while absorbing all the 1960s nostalgia of AMC's Mad Men.

Silky Chocolate Pudding
Serves 6

Notes: The recipe calls for a double boiler but the pudding can be made without it. I used extremely low heat and stirred the mixture constantly with a whisk to prevent scorching. Don't stop whisking.

I did not push the pudding through a sieve and had no lumps, probably due to my constant whisking.

I used Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate chips. Scharffenberger chocolate would have been divine but was nowhere to be found at the store.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups whole milk
6 ounces 62% semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Combine the cornstarch, sugar and salt in the top of a double boiler. Slowly whisk in the milk, scraping the bottom and sides with a heatproof spatula to incorporate the dry ingredients. Place over gently simmering water and stir occasionally, scraping the bottom and sides. Use a whisk as necessary should lumps begin to form. After 15 to 20 minutes, when the mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of the spoon, add the chocolate. Continue stirring for about 2 to 4 minutes, or until the pudding is smoooth and thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

2. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a serving bowl or into a large measuring cup with a spout and pour into individual serving dishes.

3. If you like pudding skin, pull plastic wrap over the top of the serving dish(es) before refrigerating. If you dislike pudding skin, place plastic wrap on top of the pudding and smooth it gently against the surface before refrigerating. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days.

Serve this with whipped cream and go crazy.

Lunch: caprese salad

2008-07-19T21:29:00.003-05:00

How can something so basic be so incredibly delicious? Local tomatoes + home grown basil + mozzarella + oliveoilsaltpepper is the perfect summer lunch.

To Do: Summer Re-Reading List

2008-07-16T11:56:00.009-05:00

There's something so great and comforting about re-reading books I loved when I was younger. I was Bookworm Extraordinaire and, especially during the summer, read all day and every day. Lately it has been thunderstorming and so I have been curling up in a big leather chair with a pot of tea and a stack of books.

These are on my re-reading list:

Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery) - One of my favorite childhood books series. Anne Shirley is so fun and charming and Gilbert Blythe so perfect. Sigh.

A Room with a View (E.M. Forster) - Travel and romance are both elements of a good summer read. For a Victorian-era novel, this book is pretty fun and easy to read.

Emma / Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) - No explanation needed for Jane Austen, right??

Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas) - Best, most gripping adventure novel I've ever read.

Little Women (Louisa M. Alcott) - A classic. For extra fun you can watch the movie. Christian Bale as Laurie is so perfect.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - My favorite book. Even Mark read this (after he saw a character in Band of Brothers reading it in the trenches) and liked it.

P.S. A few weeks ago I listed the books I've read most recently and I forgot to include Atonement by Ian McEwan. I saw the movie first and read the book on our flight to Tokyo. Both the movie and the book are excellent (mmm James McAvoy), but I enjoyed the book more, as usual. The writing was excellent; very enjoyable.

Dreaming of a spa bathroom

2008-07-10T16:17:00.001-05:00

My favorite part about staying at a swanky hotel is, hands down, the bathroom. Sure, sometimes I might be wowed by a huge fireplace (Whistler) or an incredible view (Cinque Terre), but at the end of the day, give me a huge soaking tub, lovely tiles, plush towels, a beautiful sink, and fancy bath salts, and I am in heaven.

For me, the bathroom should be a haven: relaxing, a bit luxurious, and a place to enjoy getting ready for and, eventually, unwinding from the day. My favorite bathroom from our honeymoon was in a beach villa we stayed at in Nha Trang, Vietnam:

Major style. Love the natural light, the stonework, the huge green ferns, and the chic shampoo, conditioner, and body wash pump dispensers. Two things you can't see:

an opaque bamboo sliding door leads to the main bathroom, where the focal point was a carved wooden Buddha head; and
they planted a flowering tree above the roof of the bathroom, so there were tons of yellow and white flower petals littering the roof. Amazing!

I definitely won't be owning a beach house in Nha Trang anytime soon, but I can still try to recreate the feel:

Thick, fluffy towels and bathmats. I like whites, neutrals for the spa aesthetic.
Clear and streamline counters and surfaces. Keep toiletries organized and put away in drawers, woven baskets, or under the sink. I like the bamboo and acrylic drawer organizers at The Container Store. For things I store on the counter, I like to use pretty colored bowls or apothecary jars.
Look for stylish refillable containers for hand soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, etc. I dislike plastic mouthwash bottles so I have been toying with the idea of putting mouthwash in a simple carafe, like this one from Crate and Barrel.
Add something green: a single large green leaf in a vase of water, a potted fern, or colorful blooms in a mug adds a lot. I love lush elephant ear plants.
Candles and fragrant hand soap are always a luxurious touch.

Now that I have to share a bathroom with a BOY, I can't indulge every feminine whim (goodbye mirrored vanity, ruffly shower curtain, and flowery bathmat I never had...), but I think this is a good compromise.

Reading material

2008-07-09T01:24:00.015-05:00

The last 5 books I read were: High Fidelity (Nick Hornby), I am Charlotte Simmons (Tom Wolfe), Anna Karenina (Tolstoy), Teacher Man (Frank McCourt), and The Glass Castle (Jeannette Walls), which I reviewed here.

The good: The Glass Castle, Teacher Man, and Anna Karenina.

Recently I have really enjoyed reading memoirs, especially The Glass Castle, which was an incredible, engrossing read. Teacher Man is the memoir of the author's 25 years teaching English and creative writing in the NYC school system. I had some pretty great English teachers in my day but none really strayed outside of the curriculum like he did. Interesting and unexpected perspective on teaching, I thought.

I adore lengthy, detailed, complicated fictional narratives and I have to admit that, when I opened the book and saw the list of characters spanned 5 pages, I got excited. Anna Karenina was romantic and sad, the characters very well-developed, but the book itself... slow and very time-consuming read, which has been my experience with other Russian works (The Brothers Karamozov and Crime and Punishment, mainly). I saved it for long travel days, which worked out perfectly.

The bad: High Fidelity, I am Charlotte Simmons.

To be completely simplistic, I hated High Fidelity. It was the most annoying book I have read in a long time. I didn't relate to or have any sympathy for any of the immature, self-absorbed characters and I couldn't find their lives at all humorous (which I think they were intended to be).

I Am Charlotte Simmons was impressive for the amount of work and research Wolfe probably devoted to this novel, but I think it was intended for older folks who want to be shocked about what happens on college campuses. What, there is rampant drinking and drugs at parties? What, there is academic cheating? What, STDs and sex?

The new: I'm off to a new start with Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China, by Fuschia Dunlop. As I would love to write a travel and food memoir about Vietnam one day, I am loving it. The description of her life in Chengdu and her immersion in Sichuan culture is so compelling. I lived and studied in Paris for a year in college and found that difficult. My struggles just seem laughable now, compared to living in Asia. And reading about how she learns to kill, cook, and enjoy the food there is great fun, sometimes stomach-turning, but fun nonetheless. Mark and I are already huge fans of Sichuan food, especially the tofu skins and cold tripe appetizer spiced with chile and tingly Sichuan peppercorn at our favorite Houston place, but now I can't wait to try her recipes for dan dan noodles, fish-flavored eggplant (which has no fish), and twice-cooked pork.

To wear: red, white, and blue

2008-07-08T11:57:00.016-05:00

I inherited my mom's love of sales, and I can't stay away.

Flowy cotton blouse with sweetheart neckline and black graphic hem, Anthropologie, on sale for $49.95.

Adorable red t-strap wedges from Target, $19.99. These would be really cute with short shorts and the above top, right? Navy and white striped cotton bag... how can you say no to the crispness of the bag? how can you say no to the bow? You can't, if you're a girl like me. $15.80 at Forever 21.

Red silk wrap dress on sale for $135 (usually $195) from Calypso Christiane Celle. I am fascinated with this dress because you can wear it 2 ways. Also, once I saw a woman on my flight wearing this dress with pretty pumps and she looked awesome, despite the wrinkles. I think it's supposed to look wrinkly. Amazing! I think my sister should go to the NYC store and try on this dress and take a picture. Hint.

Chemise by Vera Wang for Kohl's. I love wearing chemises to sleep - so comfortable and feminine. I have a ton already but always want more. Also this one is only $21.60, down from $35.00, which is not too shabby.

Honeymoon recap: Mui Ne

2008-07-08T10:00:00.002-05:00

My last entry about our honeymoon concerned our forays into the Mekong Delta, land of snake wine, floating markets, vegetarian rats, and delicious sour seafood hot pots.

After spending about 10 days in and around Ho Chi Minh City, we ventured up the coast. First stop? Mui Ne, a seaside town that reminded me a baby Las Vegas - there were an astonishing number of hotels (almost all with neon signs) for this tiny town.

Again, we hired a driver to take us. The traffic out of Ho Chi Minh City was ridiculously bad, and the exhaust was suffocating, so it was nice to finally leave the city. I recommend driving up the coast just for the scenery. It was amazing to see all of the sprawling industrial complexes and "suburbs" stretching north out of the city. Once you get out of the city, you start to see more farming towns and scenes like this:

Mui Ne is a good place to stop for a day or so, for the palm trees and balmy weather.

Other than being a convenient place to stop off for a day of relaxing and swimming before heading up to Nha Trang, however, Mui Ne was not super exciting. I'd be interested to see if it develops into more of a Las Vegas-style beach resort place in 5-10 years.

Next up: Nha Trang, possibly my favorite place in Vietnam!

Fun stuff: wordles

2008-07-07T21:52:00.019-05:00

As I mentioned last week, I am on the lookout for art/photos/objects to arrange on my gallery wall. Today I came across wordle, an addicting java applet that lets you create word clouds out of anything you desire. Printed on glossy paper, one of these could be a fun, different addition to a gallery wall.

The first wordle I made uses the lyrics from model-turned-pop star-turned French First Lady Carla Bruni's song Le Toi du Moi. For the second, I used names of cities Mark and I have visited. I rather like the way this one turned out.

Even if I don't end up putting one of these babies on my gallery wall, it was still a nice way to waste half an hour!

To do: herbify my life

2008-07-06T20:00:00.003-05:00

My mom has basil growing wild.

If you look closely, she has Thai basil and normal basil growing together. I love both!

Ideas:

Pesto (mortar and pestle style since my mom doesn't believe in "unnecessary" kitchen gadgets)
Green goddess dressing with tons of basil; especially good with grilled/broiled salmon.
Caprese salad with tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and peppery extra virgin olive oil
Marinate chopped tomatoes in good olive oil, salt, coarsely ground pepper, and crushed garlic cloves; toss in freshly cooked spaghettini; shower with basil.
Make basil-infused sugar syrup; use to macerate fruit or splash in soda water.
Tofu or chicken stir fry with Thai basil and chilies.
Use Thai basil to generously garnish pho
Make panzanella. Toast chunks of crusty bread; compose salad of crusty croutons, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and tons of basil and flat leaf parsley; add salt, freshly ground pepper, and splashes of red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.

Any other ideas? The simpler, the better, in my opinion.

Tip of the day: Coffee grounds as beauty product

2008-07-05T23:53:00.003-05:00

I have a new tip for those of you who, like me, start to get elephant skin elbows and hands if you fail to exfoliate at least once a week!

Baby elephants are really cute:

But having rough, dull skin is not. Needless to say, I am addicted to body scrubs. My most recent favorite is Spice Odyssey scrub by Origins, a gift from my friend Lisa.

Unfortunately, I'm out. So last week, while wandering around Kuhl Linscomb -which has an incredible selection of (spendy) beauty and bath products- I spied a jar of exfoliating coffee scrub. What a GREAT idea! And is there a better way to wake yourself up than getting your joints all soft while inhaling the intoxicating smell of coffee?

It cost $35 so I walked away. But here is my tip: You can use cooled coffee grounds from your coffee maker at home to get basically the same effect. You could even mix it with coarse salt or sugar and a little olive oil to make the scrub totally nourishing and moisturizing. I tried this the other day and was very pleased with the results. Goodbye rough dull skin... forever.

In other news, Mark and I got to my parents' place late on Thursday night. The drive, through highways overgrown with kudzu, was pleasant but quite long. It was nice to wake up to a sunny 4th of July on the Savannah River.

Breakfast: Banh cuon

2008-07-05T10:54:00.006-05:00

When we were in Vietnam, we loved eating banh cuon for breakfast. The dish has several components: thin layers of rice noodle crepes (made like crepes, but ladled over a steamer rather than a skillet), fried shallots, cucumbers, carrots, bean sprouts, and pork sausauge (gio lua). The entire thing is finished off with lots of nuoc mam, or flavorful sauce made of lime, fish sauce, garlic, and chilies.

Today my mom made us each our own plates of banh cuon for breakfast with all the Asian food supplies I brought her from Hong Kong Market in Houston:

Instead of shallots, we had caramelized onion but otherwise the dish was very true to the versions we had in Vietnam. I love all the differing textures -the soft noodles, the charred onions, the crunch of the carrots and cucumber- and the intense flavors of the onions and the fish sauce. I have to say that the fresh rice noodle crepes we had in Vietnam were lighter and thinner but the store-bought version is good in a pinch.

Recipe Index

2008-07-01T18:05:00.001-05:00

Baked Goods

Azo Family Chocolate Cake
Cream Scones
Dorie Greenspan's Sweet Potato Biscuits

Mains

Flank Steak with Soy-Chile Glaze
Goan Style Shrimp Curry
Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter
Mom's Ham and Bean Soup
Mujadara
My Favorite Summer Sandwich
Seafood in Black Pepper Caramel Sauce
Thomas Keller's Roasted Chicken

Sides

Coconut-Ginger Rice
Yellow Rice with Peas and Whole Spices

Beverages

Mulled Wine
Sangria

Desserts

Azo Family Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Pudding
David Lebovitz's chocolate chip cookies
Dorie Greenspan's Sugar Topped Molasses Spice Cookies
Dorie Greenspan's Honey Peach Ice Cream
Frozen Yogurt with Boozy Strawberries
Nectarine Frozen Yogurt
Summer Berry Tart

Sauces

Apple-Soy Vinaigrette
Blueberry Sauce
Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter
Rick Bayless' Chile de Arbol Sauce

Improvised dinner: spaghettini with goat cheese, lemon, and kale

2008-07-01T17:50:00.008-05:00

Since we are going to be out of town for about a month, we have been trying to use up all of our perishable food. Yesterday night I surveyed the refrigerator and found leftover spaghettini, half of a lemon, a bunch of kale, and -the best find of all- a knob of goat cheese left over from the party last weekend.

The resulting pasta wasn't the fanciest but it wasn't bad! Being forced to come up with something based on random odds and ends in the refrigerator/pantry is a good thing. I end up combining elements I might not have otherwise combined and, every once in awhile, discover a new flavor combination that's pretty tasty. Bonus points are in order if I use up leftovers we might have otherwise tossed.

While I warmed the pasta, I threw the kale in a saute pan with olive oil, hot chili flakes, and coarse salt. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, I added crumbled goat cheese and the lemon zest to the hot pasta and added a bit of hot water to loosen the goat cheese and coat the pasta. Once the kale was ready, I added it to the bowl and mixed. Lemony creamy pasta with kale = nice dinner. It would most certainly have been better had I cooked fresh pasta, but it was tasty and quick. I would definitely make this again.

Inspired: gallery wall

2008-07-01T15:22:00.015-05:00

I've been trying to think of something to do with the blank space above our bed and I have decided that I like the idea of arranging a dozen or so different photographs -some prints, some personal photos- in gallery frames of different sizes.

Something like this (via West Elm)

Or maybe like this (via Domino)?

Or this? (also from Domino)

These aren't exactly what I had in mind but I haven't found the perfect inspiration picture yet. Basically, I I love the juxtaposition of different sizes and different types of frames.

We painted the bedroom cool, muted lavender so I would want to assemble a collection of photos in muted colors and black and white. The lavender walls sound sickly sweet, I know, but are actually amazing. The best part is how the wall color seems to transform throughout the day, from a beautiful lavender to a muted gray in the evening. The big surprise was that Mark loved the color as much as I did.

Anyway, while idly looking at Domino, I came across some really lovely photos by Alicia Bock. I immediately checked out her Etsy site and there are some great finds.

I love the soft texture and muted colors. Some of these would be perfect in my imaginary wall of photos.

Interesting... no?

2 Days in Paris

2008-07-01T12:00:00.001-05:00

Last night I was happy to see 2 Days in Paris, with Julie Delpy and Adam Goldberg, was available on our Netflix On Demand. Mark worked his A/V club magic and hooked up my laptop so I could watch it on our TV.

Recommended for those who love movies set in Paris but are not necessarily looking for something totally precious (Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amelie Poulain, anyone?). The last Delpy movie I saw was Before Sunset and I couldn't have hated that movie more, but that was because of the insufferable Ethan Hawke. In this movie Delpy is mostly appealing but is annoying and neurotic enough to be a real, flawed character. Goldberg was excellent and so funny - I loved seeing how uncomfortable he was. The movie dragged a bit at some points but, for the most part, the dialogue was so funny and intelligent that I can forgive it.

Coveting: new bicycle

2008-06-29T15:22:00.004-05:00

Look at this bicycle! Imagine living in the Netherlands and riding this through fields of tulips.

Back to 101 degree Houston... sigh.

Saturday recap

2008-06-28T13:06:00.015-05:00

Wow! It's finally Sunday and I am exhausted. We have been entertaining all week. Last night Mark, our friend Mona, and I put together a going away party at our place for our friend Jyoti. It was a huge success and so much fun. A very fitting way to send off our dear Jyoti to law school.

Since we expected 15-25 people, Mark and I rearranged furniture to allow for seating on the patio and seating in the dining area, so we had 3 different spaces for people to gather. Of course the dining area was the most happening because that's where we had all the food and drinks.

We made white bean dip, hummus, and caramelized onion dip and set out crackers and goat cheese with various toppings (harissa, dill, honey), as well as the obligatory tortilla chips and salsa. The caramelized onion dip was the most popular - at least until the desserts came out. Mark made pavlova! Pavlova was the dessert that made me fall in love with real whipped cream (and possibly Mark).

I don't know what I like most about pavlova. Is it the crunchy yet light layers of meringue? Is it the mouthfeel of velvety whipped cream and bitter chocolate sauce? Wait, it has to be the tartness of the berries contrasting with the sugary meringue. I love it all.

We also had a Scotch/Irish/Canadian whiskey tasting on the balcony. Scotch is the most loved around here: Glenfiddich (12 years), The Famous Grouse (not sure, but it was blended), Glenlivet (12 years), Laphroig (10 years). From the Irish camp we had Powers. From Canada we had Crown Royal.

The tasting was excellent. The unanimous favorite was Laphroaig, which was peaty, smooth, and so flavorful. But for me, the main thing I got out of it was tasting the difference between the single malts and the blended stuff like Famous Grouse or Crown Royal, or even the difference between Irish whiskey and Scotch. Mark has been slowly but steadily getting me to appreciate Scotch - essential, he says, for our future (unplanned) trip to Scotland to visit his old schoolmates. For my part, I have been slowly but steadily getting him to admit that he is open to the existence of Nessie.

My favorite part of the party was the dancing to cheesy pop (there will no photographic evidence in this medium, sorry), but the best part was that so many people came out to wish Jyoti the best. We are sending her off in a big way!

Fun to do list

2008-06-25T17:44:00.013-05:00

I like to keep to-do lists. One is boring: go to the bank, go to DMV, buy wood polish, etc. The other is full of fun things - places to eat, things to make, stores to visit, recipes to attempt. A few items on my fun to-do list:

Stores to visit: Kuhl-Linscomb. Check! This afternoon Jyoti and I went to Kuhl-Linscomb, a luxurious but unintimidating store for those with large pocketbooks. Sometimes in life I need to allow myself mindless fun, ok?

Restaurants to try: It seems like everyone in Houston is talking about a new-ish pizza place, Russo's, with a coal-burning oven and, yeah, I want to try it too. Mark makes delicious Italian-style pizza but maybe I need to try to appreciate East Coast style pizza now. According to the review in the Houston Press today, sausage + fennel pizza sounds scrumptious.

Also, a new Vietnamese restaurant, Hue, opened up nearby in the strip mall at Kirby/Richmond. That particular strip mall has good food vibes- we really liked Canton Seafood House, which used to be there. This might be the first fancy Vietnamese place in the Inner Loop. I'm really curious to see if it serves good Hue-style food.

Movies to see: When does Batman come out again? Mmm... Christian Bale.

Food to make: Chocolate hazelnut ice cream. Peach frozen yogurt. Sorry, I can't think of anything non-frozen because it's so hot. Our A/C went out today!

I can check one thing off my ongoing list of things to try. Ranking high on the "things I thought I would love but don't" list: Honey flavored "goat fresh" yogurt. To be honest, I was shocked I didn't love it -my favorite snack is crusty bread smeared with goat cheese and drizzled with honey. Oh well.

Recipes: eating Italy

2008-06-23T23:15:00.001-05:00

Part of the reason why I love food so much is that it can evoke memories - some wonderful or funny or maybe even sad. Occasionally, we like to relive our trip to Italy with simple pasta dinners.

Part of what afforded us the luxury of traveling through Italy for 2 weeks was how inexpensively, yet how well, we could eat there. We took advantage of the amazing selection of bread, cheese, fruit, and preserved meats at the markets for lunch. We satisfied mid-morning or afternoon cravings with warm foccaccia, pizza, and gelato (so much gelato!). And, when we went to restaurants, we bypassed the secondi section of the menu (sadly) and ordered pasta and vegetables. And loved every bit.

I can remember each meal we ate there. One of my favorite memories is of an older Roman gentleman seated nearby us, happily raising his bowl of bucatini all'amatriciana to his nose to inhale the smells, smiling in obvious appreciation for the meal in front of him. This is how we felt at every meal. Actually, we loved pasta so much that, the night we returned from our travels to my Paris apartment, our midnight meal consisted of spaghettini tossed with warm garlic, olive oil, and pepperoncini I had bought at the Campo de Fiori in Rome. I'll never forget how deliciously spicy and satisfying that meal was, or how amazing our weeks in Italy together were. I'm so glad I made that trip with the man I would one day marry.

A few nights ago we made spaghettini with Marcella Hazan's tomato sauce with onion and butter. Hazan's recipes are classically Italian, not Italian-American, so you'll never see "Italian seasoning" or tons of garlic, but her simple recipes are often something special. They always seem more delicious than you would think they have any right to be, given the simplicity of the ingredients.

I usually make tomato sauce with olive oil, garlic, and chili flakes, but I use Hazan's recipe when I want something a little special. The butter and onion render the sauce subtly sweet and voluptuous.

Tomato sauce with onion and butter (via Marcella Hazan, Essentials of Italian Cooking)

Yields enough sauce for about 1 pound of pasta, or 4 servings

2 cups canned imported San Marzano tomatoes, cut up, with their juices (I use 1 28 ounce can)*
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut in half
salt

Combine the tomatoes, their juices, the butter, the onion halves, and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan. (Playing around: you can add minced garlic or a few shakes of chile flakes at this point, if you like.)
Turn heat to medium and bring to a simmer.
Simmer, uncovered, adjusting the heat to medium-low as necessary, for about 45 minutes.
Stir occasionally, mashing large pieces of tomato with a wooden spoon (or potato masher).
The sauce is ready when you begin to see orange droplets of fat float free from the tomatoes.
Taste and add salt as needed.
Discard the onion before tossing the sauce with the pasta.

*In this recipe she calls for imported San Marzano tomatoes. I've made the sauce with San Marzano tomatoes and good-quality canned tomatoes from Central Market. Either way, the sauce was good. Just use good tomatoes.

Weekend highlights:

2008-06-23T11:34:00.011-05:00

Epic steak dinner at Brandon's on Friday
Hanging out with Jyoti on Saturday (minus watching Darjeeling Limited)
Enjoying Mark's first attempt at cinnamon raisin bread
Crossword and coffee on Sunday
Celebrating Ilan and Robin's engagement and trying chocolate babka

Cinnamon raisin bread:

Exciting plans for this week: making mint chocolate chunk ice cream; making Moroccan food with Ilan and Robin; making dinner for Brandon; and planning Jyoti's going away party on Friday.

A glimpse into a love affair

2008-06-20T16:45:00.002-05:00

Dear Ice Cream Maker:

I realized today that it was a little more than a week ago that you produced the most delicious frozen yogurt I could ever imagine. Further, I realized that, despite having an almost full container of Greek yogurt in the refrigerator, I have somehow restrained myself from indulging in this treat since then. How can this BE?

If you recall, you produced this frozen yogurt twice last week - on the same night. Remember, Elvia loved it so much that, after we finished the first 2 cups, she immediately insisted on trekking back to Whole Foods to buy more yogurt and strawberries? Honestly, I was right there with her.

This frozen yogurt you made is tremendous. You know why I love it? Besides the fact that it is a little fluffy cloud of perfection? You don't need these:

You don't have to fuss with separating egg yolks. Which means you don't have to figure out what to do with the leftover egg whites. Also? You don't need milk. Or heavy cream. Or a vanilla bean.

You know what you do need? Greek yogurt. Sugar. That's it.

This is what it looks like right now.

It will be hanging out in the refrigerator, developing (I hope) a beautiful, sweet tang, to be enjoyed by us with fresh nectarines. I can't wait!!

Your ardent admirer,
Kim

Chile de arbol hot sauce

2008-06-20T11:45:00.011-05:00

Before I moved to Houston, I did not like Mexican food. Back then I was uninformed, and I thought soggy rice with frozen vegetables, dry tortillas stuffed with greasy lettuce and bland ground beef and covered in an inch of rubbery cheese, and flavorless refried beans constituted Mexican food. Well, it was really masquerading as Tex-Mex. What an insult to Tex-Mex. And, since most people outside of Texas don't really differentiate between Tex-Mex and Mexican food, what an insult to Mexican cuisine.

Oh, and I haven't even mentioned the worst part about my experience. The worst part? Salsa... consisting of blended canned tomatoes and nothing else. Most thankfully, I moved to Houston and discovered that Tex-Mex and Mexican food are amazing, vibrant, complex cuisines and that a warm, tender tortilla made from scratch right in front of you is a glorious thing.

All that to say the following: I used to think I didn't like Mexican food or Tex-Mex food. Now I love it. However, I truly believe that all the "Mexican" food of my youth would have been a lot more palatable with proper salsa or chile sauce. Once I saw a show where a lady carried around ranch dressing in her bag everywhere because she felt compelled to put it on everything. Replace ranch dressing with chile sauce and I totally get it.

Last week we went to the local Mexican grocery store and I found myself staring at an enormous bag of chiles de arbol. And I started to remember this Rick Bayless recipe I saw for chile de arbol hot sauce. And we were planning to make burgers for dinner and I found myself thinking how nice it would be to drizzle hot sauce on my burger or to mix it with mayo to make a spicy mayo. And... before I knew it, I was looking up the recipe for his chile sauce on Mark's phone.

It was a little annoying to make - deseeding the chiles is a major project and it's easy to burn the pumpkin seeds if you're off deseeding the chiles. But the final product was so good that I can forget about all that. Since then, we've been eating this with everything: our burgers, on egg salad, on eggs, on beans and rice, on scrambled eggs, etc. This chile sauce is complex, smoky, a bit creamy, and it has a really hot, straightforward heat and the requisite bite of vinegar. And it is a beeeeautiful burnt orange-red color. I really love it. And I also love Rick Bayless' glasses.

Chile de Arbol Picante Sauce (from Rick Bayless)

55-60 dried chiles de arbol
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons shelled pumpkin seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, peeled, minced
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 to 1 cup water

Stem the chiles. Roll between your fingers to loosen the seeds. Break chiles in half and remove as many seeds as you can. Add to blender.
Toast the sesame seeds in a heavy skillet on low to medium-low heat. They will turn golden and start to pop. Remove and add to blender.
Toast the pumpkin seeds in same skillet on low to medium-low heat. Remove and add to blender.
Add vinegar, garlic, chiles, and spices to blender with the sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds. Pulverize until mixture is smooth and uniformly orange red.
Strain mixture through medium sieve, pressing and working solids to release all the liquids. Rick Bayless says to discard the solids but I added a little water, lime, and a tomato and used it to make a searingly hot salsa for dipping with chips.
Add water to the sieved mixture (anywhere between 1/2 cup to 1 cup water, depending on how spicy and thin you want the final product to be). I added about 3/4 cup but would probably add less next time.
Place in clean jar. Apparently this keeps indefinitely. But it really won't, because you'll eat it all.

Let's go to the symphony, dahling

2008-06-18T22:41:00.001-05:00

Going to the Symphony is my favorite date night ever. Getting dressed up and sitting in Jones Hall and soaking in the glorious music? I could go every weekend. [So you don't get the mistaken impression that I am terribly high brow and sophisticated, let me also add that I love gawking at the fancy ladies with Texas hair, important jewelry, and pink evening gowns or whatever. For Mark's part, he loves waiting for the guy whose role is to bang the giant gong.]

A few years ago for our anniversary I splurged for good seats when the HSO was performing Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade and it was incredible. My favorite live music experience by far, and I've seen Renee Fleming in La Traviata AND *Nsync. So... yeah.

#1 girl on a budget suggestion : Minimize the cost of tickets by joining Wavelength, the HSO's club for the 18-29 set. For a limited number of performances during the season, tickets are $8 bucks.

#2 girl on a budget suggestion: Take advantage of the HSO's summer performances, where they perform at Miller Outdoor Theater in nearby Hermann Park. The downside is the sticky Houston heat but the fun part is that you can spread out a blanket on the huge lawn and enjoy a picnic under the stars. Summer schedule here.

#3 girl on a budget suggestion: Screw the budget! When Yo-Yo Ma or Yitzhak ~~Rabin~~ PEARLMAN are in town, you better believe those seats are not free. I'll be saving my pennies.

[I realized I wrote Rabin instead of Pearlman last night and laughed hysterically at myself. But let's be honest: if Yitzhak Rabin came to town to play violin, it would also be sold out.]

Baubles on a budget

2008-06-18T12:39:00.009-05:00

I'm a sucker for places with giant SALE signs on display. One dangerous place is Anthropologie because it usually takes a stupid amount of effort to walk away from things I don't even need, like teacups and saucers.

But yesterday my friend Jyoti and I both made it out of there without a single purchase (or too much dillydallying, for that matter). The reason? I think we were so satisfied with the bargain purchases we had made earlier in the day at the Guild Shop.

The Guild Shop is a very popular consignment shop run by a local church ministry. Because it is located in a nice neighborhood, the shop gets lots of treasures - I especially enjoyed looking through the vintage costume jewelry, the sterling silver, and the china departments.

These were 2 of my finds yesterday:

The cameo piece is a ring and the rose is a pendant. I also bought another cameo pin (blue), possibly to turn into a pendant, so I'll share that when I have finished that project.

It was a fun trip, because Jyoti helped me pick out the rose pendant, and I found her a delicate gold charm necklace. I would like to think her necklace belonged to a Texas debutante but I guess we'll never know! My favorite charms were an owl charm and a winged insect (?) charm. We both loved the contrast between the delicate gold charm and the edginess of the owl/bug.

One cool thing about the Guild shop is that the price of each item depends on how long it's been in the store, so the prices are steadily decreasing each day! What's not to like?

The Guild Shop
2009 Dunlavy
Houston, TX 77006

Dinner: Mujadara

2008-06-15T12:35:00.002-05:00

Mujadara, which is essentially rice pilaf with lentils and caramelized onions, has a lot going for it. We always have the (inexpensive) ingredients on hand. It's tasty and filling and nutritious and the flavors meld beautifully and did I mention it is really inexpensive?

The main problem with mujadara is that I hate how long it takes to caramelize the onions, but I get over it because the onions pretty much make the dish. Mujadara is really nice with a drizzle of Greek yogurt (what isn't better with Greek yogurt?) and a big salad. Yesterday I was feeling sick (sick enough to cancel plans to grab Turkish food with friends), but this dish was simple enough to comfort my tummy and make me feel a little better.

Mark Bittmann's recipe for mujadara is pretty basic, so I improvised a bit: after the onions are caramelized, I deglazed the pan with a bit of cognac (I know, totally inauthentic but I like the flavor of onions with cognac) and I also added cinnamon and allspice.

Recipe: Mujadara (or caramelized onion, lentils, and rice pilaf) adapted from Mark Bittmann

serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side dish

1 large onion, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup dried brown (or green) lentils, rinsed and picked over
1/2 cup long-grain rice
1 teaspoon salt, plus more for serving
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
minced flat leaf parsley, for garnish
Kosher salt, to taste

In a large (12-inch) sauté pan or skillet or a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are deeply browned. Don't worry if they start to blacken a bit. This is a lengthy process: 45 minutes to 1 hour.
While the onions are cooking, add the lentils to a medium saucepan and add water to cover (by about an inch). Bring the lentils and water to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce to a simmer and let cook for about 20 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Drain and set aside.
When the onions are deeply caramelized, remove about 1/2 of the onion mixture and reserve for later. If you like, add a splash of cognac to the pan containing the onions and use a wooden spoon to scrape the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Next, add the rice, cinnamon, allspice, and a pinch of kosher salt to the remaining onions and stir to coat. Finally, add the cooked lentils, along with 2 cups of water and an additional pinch of salt, if desired. Stir to mix well, and bring the pan to a boil. Reduce the heat to keep the pan at a slow simmer, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, check the mujadara: if there is still liquid in the pot, keep cooking until the liquid is fully absorbed. If, on the other hand, the mixture begins to dry out before the rice is completely cooked, add add another splash of water and continue cooking until the liquid is absorbed. The dish is ready when the rice is tender and there is no longer any excess liquid to be absorbed. This process normally takes between 20-30 minutes.
Garnish with the reserved onions, chopped parsley. Also good with a few dashes of cayenne or hot chile sauce.

Style dilemmas

2008-06-14T15:35:00.002-05:00

Today my sister called and complained about not having any clothes that could go from the office to after-work functions with her work or her boyfriend's work. Being a New Yorker she complains about stuff like this all the time: "What should I wear to a free dinner at Craftsteak?? Wahh!" Yeah, I am so sympathetic.

OK, actually I kind of am, because she hates shopping, doesn't really care about clothes, has no interest in spending tons of money on clothes, and yet she feels compelled to look put together. (Such is life in the big city.) So I will share my ideas for a work-to-after work outfit (on a budget) for my sis.

At work, I can see her building a professional outfit around this knee-length shift dress with bow tie detail on the neck, only $22.80 at Forever 21:

Slim cardigan that she already owns, similar to this eggplant version ($65 at J. Crew):

Tan peep-toe shoes (she already owns these, courtesy of her generous sister), now on sale at Dillard's for $41.40:

Since my sister doesn't really wear accessories, I'm guessing she would grab her canvas bag and iPhone and be out the door.

For the after work outings, I would lose the cardigan and break out a patterned clutch. I love this one, $65 from etsy seller redrubyrose.

I would also love to see some makeup and fun jewelry but I know that won't happen. (The clutch is majorly pushing it.) So, would this fly at Craftsteak? More importantly, would my sister EVER wear the dress to work? Something is telling me no, but I still like the idea. Let's find out!