Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Jeremy Fox not just at Plum

June 30

I just got off the phone with former Ubuntu chef Jeremy Fox, who was recom-mending new and soon-to-open restaurants in San Francisco for me (including Benu, the much-anticipated restaurant of former French Laundry chef Corey Lee, which is slated to open later this summer).

The world learned last month that Jeremy was going to be the chef at Plum, an Oakland, Calif., restaurant Daniel Patterson (of Coi in San Francisco) had planned to open in July.

Jeremy tells me Plum is now slated to open in the first week of September, serving plant-based cuisine, much of it from a garden on which he and Patterson will be breaking ground this summer (the picture above is from Jeremy’s days at Ubuntu, where he also had a garden).

Plant-based doesn’t mean vegetarian. Jeremy said he will be making his own charcuterie for Plum, and that the restaurant’s dishes will have more animal ears and skin than loins and other muscle meat — for flavoring rather than to be featured in the center of the plate.

But things will be hopping at that garden, which not only will be supplying produce for Plum, but also for Bracina, Patterson’s long-delayed restaurant in Oakland’s Jack London Square, which Jeremy says is now slated for a January opening.

Jeremy told me he’s going to be involved in that restaurant as well as in Plum, and also in future Patterson ventures.

I asked if he was Patterson’s corporate chef, then.

I kind of heard him shrug, and he said: “For lack of a better word.”

And there you have it.

Queso Fundido Burger

  
    
Queso Fundido just means melted cheese in Spanish.  So, what would a Mexican cheeseburger look like?  Rick Bayless, chef and author extraordinaire on mexican food, gives us this recipe, which I tried last week.  He suggests adding Mexican chorizo to the meat mixture, which I did and is a great idea.  So much so, that it covers for the turkey I substituted for the beef.  You can use beef if you want, but I am always looking for a way to substitute lower fat turkey, chicken or pork into burgers in a way that still tastes great.  This recipe also includes adobo in the meat for a spicy, smokey kick.  Topped with Monterrey Jack cheese and slices of roasted poblano and caramelized onion, the burger is great on its own.  Get even more luscious with the avocado aioli from the Mexican shrimp burger recipe a couple of weeks ago and you'll rise to an even higher level.  Have fun and keep that summer grill going.  Serves 4.
    
Ingredients:
2  poblano chiles
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 lb ground turkey
8 oz chorizo
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, seeded and minced
1 1/2 tsp salt
8 slices Monterey Jack cheese
4 hamburger buns
    
Over the grill or under a broiler, char the outer skins of the poblano chiles, turning frequently until all sides are just blackened.  Put the chiles in a bag or under a cloth to let the steam separate the skin from the chile.  After a few minutes, scrape off the skin with a knife, seed the chiles and slice the walls into strips.  In a medium skillet over medium heat, warm the oil and cook the onions until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and poblano chile slices and stir while cooking another 2 minutes.  Remove to a plate.  In the same pan, cook the chorizo, breaking it up until crumbled and browned, about 5 minutes.  Remove to a bowl.  Add to the bowl the ground turkey, chipotle and salt.  Mix together and form 4 equal-sized patties.  Grill the patties until cooked through, turning once, about 6 minutes.  Lay a slice a slice of cheese on top of each patty, top with the onion and poblano chile mixture and another slice of cheese.  Cook another minute covered to melt the cheese.  Serve on the toasted buns.
    

The Brandery 2010 Summer Edition, Custo Barcelona Party and opinion.


This week we're having here at Barcelona the summer edition of The Brandery. On Monday, Laia, Cris, Albert, Eva, Saray and I went to a conference given by some  bloggers. I'm going to talk about it later, and I must say that I'm sorry, because I'll do it in spanish, as I need to express myself properly and I don't know if I could sy everything that I want in english; but feel free of use the google translator if you want to read about it.




I met there Yvan Rodic, the famous Face Hunter photograph, and he gave me some quotes for my final project! After the meeting, I talked with him a while, and I met Miranda and Josep, they're so lovely too!



And talking about my project, I did my final presentation yesterday, and it was brilliant. Julio, my teacher, said that it was extremely professional; so in the next few days I'll be showing you the intervies I made to lots of lovely people you may know from the blogger's world ;)

 
Dress from Topshop
Socks from Blanco
Shoes from bimba & Lola
Hat from Oysho
Sunglasses from NY (Thanks, Laia!)
Bag from Amsterdam.

And yesterday night, after my classes, I went with Cris to Custo Barcelona's fashion show and party. There we met Saray and Merce, and with us was Toni, who I must say is very funny!! We had a gorgeous night!


And I met these two gorgeous women!! Carmen, from Devil Wears Zara; and Belén, from B* a la moda... I was so happy of meeting them there! It was fabulous, because it was like talking with old friends, but it was the first time we met... oh, my, too short for me! I hope we could meet soon again!! Unfortunately my pictures were a little bit blurred beause the light; I hope that Belen's picture were better!!

So now, I'm a little bit more free, so I would blogging as always... anyway, I'm still searching for a job... I hope I could meet something soon :(!


Sobre la conferencia de bloggers... bueno, comenzaré diciendo que creo que no cogieron a los ejemplos más apropiados. Más concretamente, a un ejemplo apropiado por una de las personas.
Gala, Pelayo, Yvan Rodic, Icanteachyou, Fashionísima y Núria de Me incomoda y la creadora de Trendtation eran los invitados de lujo a esta charla que, desgraciadamente, degeneró durante unos minutos a un pequeño circo mediático que podría haber tenido unas consecuencias un poco negativas para el mundillo blogger (algo más relacionado con la actitud, para ser excatos). Afortunadamente, espero que esto no fuera así, y que todos los presentes de esa charla entendieran lo ocurrido como un momento de egocentrismo y no como un rasgo que caracteriza a los bloggers. Me refiero, por supuesto, a la vanidad. 

En un momento determinado de la charla, mientras cada blogger comentaba cómo el hecho de tener un blog había cambiado sus vidas y su forma de relacionarse con la gente; una periodista hizo algunas preguntas que buscaban crear un poco de polémica sana, con la consiguiente reacción fuera de tono del señor Pelayo.

Veréis, no conozco de nada a este chico; apenas he entrado un par de veces en su blog y no es una persona con la que vaya a relacionarme o tener una relación de amistad; es algo que veo improbable. Luego, me baso en la imagen que me dio ayer al contestar a esta periodista; una imagen cargada de egocentrismo y aires de grandeza. Su salida de tono y falta de respeto por la persona que le realizaba las preguntas me hizo sentir vergüenza ajena, y también me hizo temer que la gente de la sala pensara, de pronto, que todos los bloggers tenemos esos aires de grandeza y "ganas de triunfar". Un "triunfo" que, según Pelayo (y cito literalmente) "no hubiera cambiado mi vida, ya que mi vida sería igual de guay con o sin blog, y yo estaría donde estoy teniendo blog o no". Algo que, en mi opinión no es cierto, ya que la "fama" de la que goza y la publicidad que da de determinadas marcas le hacen alardear de que "no tengo que comprarme ropa o botas Doc Martens". Entonces, si no tuvieras un blog, ¿cómo te sponsorizarían estas marcas? ¿Acaso no le debes tu "fama" en parte al blog? Porque al menos, personalmente, yo no le conozco ningún otro logro aparte de ese (y no, lo siento, pero por colgar esvásticas a modo de burla no eres transgresor, igual que yo no lo soy por hablar con propiedad de los skins y rude boys, ¿verdad?). Ergo, si no tuviera un blog, ayer no hubiera estado sentado en esa charla junto a grandes personalidades como Yvan Rodic.

Sinceramente, el que una persona tenga un blog no es nada nuevo o espectacular. Algunos consiguen más atención que otros, algunos consiguen "un poco de fama"; pero, ¿es eso un aliciente para perder la educación y buenas maneras? ¿Por ello has de sentirte superior a otras personas? ¿Sólo será absoluta tu verdad, no habrá más matices? La respuesta a estas preguntas, si nos basáramos sólo en la actitud de este chico, hubiera sido "sí", sin ninguna duda.

Afortunadamente, la mayoría de personas que conformamos el universo blogger tenemos dos dedos de frente (y tal vez no tanto tupé); y podemos pensar con un poco más de claridad, decencia y lucidez. He de agradecer la intervención de Miranda y Gala que, con tacto, cortaron a este chico y cambiaron de tema, porque si por mí hubiera sido (tal y como dije en voz alta), me hubiera levantado a tirarle un zapato. Y sabéis de sobra que lo hubiera hecho, porque precisamente, yo no tengo pelos en la lengua. Pero bueno, he de decir que también fue la impresión que me dio; a lo mejor este chico luego es majo y tal... pero chico, no fue lo que pareció!!

Gracias por opinar y leer!

Thanks for reading and your opinion!


Fragrant Chicken Curry Manado Style (Ayam Tuturaga)

Fragrant Chicken Curry Manado Style (Ayam Tuturaga)

Ingredients & spices :

1 kg Chicken, cut into bite sized
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 tablespoon Lime juice
5 tablespoons Oil
2 Pandanus leaves, cut into 2 cm pieces
2 stalks Lemon grass, finely chopped
5 Kaffir lime leaves
2 Cumin leaves, coarsely chopped
250 cc Water
5 stalks Chives, cut into 2 cm pieces
2 tablespoons Lime juice
Salt and sugar

Paste:

100 g Red and bird’s eye chilies
5 cloves Garlic
10 Shallots
2 teaspoons Chopped ginger
2 teaspoons Chopped turmeric
7 Candlenuts, roasted
1 teaspoon Salt

How to prepare :

Rub the chicken with salt and lime juice, and let it stand for 15 minutes.

Heat oil and sauté ground spices, pandanus leaves, lemon grass, kaffir lime and cumin leaves until fragrant.

Add chicken and fry until it is half-cooked.

Continue to cook until the chicken is tender and the gravy has thickened.

Add chives, lime juice, and salt and sugar to taste.

Serve hot.

Fragrant Chicken Curry Manado Style (Ayam Tuturaga)

Fragrant Chicken Curry Manado Style (Ayam Tuturaga)

Ingredients & spices :

1 kg Chicken, cut into bite sized
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 tablespoon Lime juice
5 tablespoons Oil
2 Pandanus leaves, cut into 2 cm pieces
2 stalks Lemon grass, finely chopped
5 Kaffir lime leaves
2 Cumin leaves, coarsely chopped
250 cc Water
5 stalks Chives, cut into 2 cm pieces
2 tablespoons Lime juice
Salt and sugar

Paste:

100 g Red and bird’s eye chilies
5 cloves Garlic
10 Shallots
2 teaspoons Chopped ginger
2 teaspoons Chopped turmeric
7 Candlenuts, roasted
1 teaspoon Salt

How to prepare :

Rub the chicken with salt and lime juice, and let it stand for 15 minutes.

Heat oil and sauté ground spices, pandanus leaves, lemon grass, kaffir lime and cumin leaves until fragrant.

Add chicken and fry until it is half-cooked.

Continue to cook until the chicken is tender and the gravy has thickened.

Add chives, lime juice, and salt and sugar to taste.

Serve hot.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Retro Recipes, Part Two


Would someone please just kill me if I buy another cookbook? 

With the collection I have, it's criminal to think about buying more.  I've often thought there are really no original recipes left (unless you count molecular gastronomy, which doesn't compute in my kitchen).  Yes, there are techniques and versions of recipes, but at the end of the day, fried chicken is fried chicken. 

Which leads me back to that retro collection of cookbooks I mentioned in the last post.  Most of them have languished on my bookshelves for so long that they are encrusted with dust.  That's about to end.

I began by pulling out my old Maida Heatter cookbooks.  Remember her?  She was the feisty, down-to-earth baker from south Florida who took no crap from anyone.  Her recipes were (and still are) winners.  I could bake everything in her books and never, ever need another baking cookbook.  I heart her.  I hope she's still alive.

Let's talk about her book "Maida Heatter's Book of Great American Desserts."  As soon as I picked it up, I remembered her "Bulls Eye Cheesecake."  Back in my younger days, I attempted to make it.  I didn't have much patience back then, so while the finished product tasted good, it didn't have that "WOW" presentation factor.  Oh, but I SO nailed it this time.  If you really want to know the truth, I am dancing up and down right now over how I nailed it.  Hell yes, I rocked it!!

So can you.  Just follow my directions and have some patience.  Prepare for major accolades.


BULL'S EYE CHEESECAKE  (from Maida Heatter)

32 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 extra-large eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon powdered espresso, dissolved in 1 T. hot water
2 teaspoons good cocoa powder (I used Valhrona)
1/4 cup crushed cookie crumbs (I used Pepperidge Farms Milano)

In electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth.  Beat in the sour cream, extracts and salt.  Beat well until no lumps remain, scraping down bowl frequently.  Beat in eggs, one at a time. 

Remove bowl from the mixer.  You wil have about 6 cups of the mixture.  Place half of it (3 cups) into a separate bowl.

Add the granulated sugar to one bowl and the brown sugar to the other.  Mix each well with a rubber spatula. 

To the brown sugar mixture, add the dissolved coffee and the cocoa powder.  Stir well to blend.

Now to form the design:


Butter an 8 x 3-inch cake pan.  Line bottom with parchment and grease well.  Pour a scant cupful of the chocolate batter in the pan.  Let it spread, then pour a scant cupful of the vanilla batter over.  Take your time and pour it very slowly, so that it forms an uniform circle over the chocolate batter in the pan.  Repeat with remaining chocolate and vanilla batters.  Remember, patience is a virtue here.

Carefully transfer the pan into a larger pan filled with warm water.  Place in oven preheated to 250-degrees and bake for 1 hour or until just set and middle is still slightly wobbly.  Remove from heat and place on a rack to cool.  Chill.


To remove from pan, dip briefly in hot water.  Shake pan to loosen, then turn out onto a sheet lined with parchment or plastic.  Press cookie crumbs over then invert onto serving dish.


Yield:  8 servings (or 12 if you are feeling stingy).

This may be the most spectacular dessert I have ever made.  Seriously!

Grilled Steak and Papaya Salad

  
    
Papaya, along with mango, for me evoke images of summer, tropical fun.  Grilling a steak is always a summer activity, and a new marinade is always welcome.  Bobby Flay provides this recipe for gilled steak and papaya salad.  However, Bobby takes his papaya salad in a Thai direction that I changed.  Thai papaya salads use green papaya, the less sweet variety.  It is julienned, and sometimes mixed with carrots or other crunchy components to give it a cole-slaw consistency.  However, when I thought of trying this recipe I wanted to go in a sweet direction, like a mango salsa.  So, I chose orange papaya instead.  I do like the way Bobby added greens to give this more of a salad feel and a good pairing with steak.  However, I subtracted the watercress he suggests, both because I am not a big fan of peppery tastes, and I wanted to stick with a sweeter theme.  Feel free to add that back in if you like.  I also broke another cardinal rule of serving this with a white wine instead of red.  I chose a Picpoul de Pinet from Languedoc, France.  We have a local distributor who favors it so we can get it plentifully and cheaply, but any fresh light white would fit the midsummer heat.  Many times with fish I will serve an Orvieto, another clean, light, Italian, lesser-known white that works well with fish.  On the marinade, I highly recommend you add this to your retinue.  The base is peanut oil instead of olive oil.  There is some peanut taste, but the overall effect is a savory richness, which is nicely balanced with the soy, lime juice and honey.  So, try this recipe for your next summertime grilling event!  Serves 4.
     
Ingredients:
4 cloves garlic, diced
2 thai bird chile, chopped, or 2 pinches of red pepper flakes
2 tbsp soy sauce
juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp honey
1/4 cup peanut oil
1 london broil, hanger or other similar flank type steak
salt and pepper
1 shallot, diced
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce
8 large red romaine lettuce leaves, chopped
1/2 an orange papaya, peeled and julienned or shredded
1 carrot, peeled and julienned or shredded
1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts
cilantro, chopped for garnish
     
Directions:
In a food processor, mix the garlic, 1 chopped chile, soy sauce, lime juice, honey and oil until smooth.  Pour into a large ziploc bag and add the steak, turning to coat.  Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.  In a small bowl, whisk together the shallot, 2 chopped chiles, vinegar, sugar and fish sauce.  Set aside.  Remove the meat from the marinade and season with salt and pepper.  Over a medium-high grill, grill the meat until the desired doneness, about 10 to 12 minutes for medium-rare.  Remove the meat and while it rests, toss the the lettuce, papaya, carrot and dressing.  Slice the meat into 1/4 inch strips and serve with the salad.  Garnish with peanuts and cilantro.  
     

yummylicious!


hye friends! so, how was ur day? mine was, erm... very ordinary. except during the evening, when Nabil came to Bernama & kidnapped me for a moment. and i was so excited to see him. i was so bored being in the bone-cold office all day long without any assignment. we went out for a lunch, eh dinner dah kot. sekejap je lah. sy masih dlm office hour. cuma rehat makan sekejap. thanks dear ;) ok sudah, i nak cerita ttg last sunday. i rajin masak! i masak 2 dessert. i baked some choc muffins + fruity pudding. yerlah, i jarang masak so haruslah i masuk blog bila i masak. HAHA.

ingredients of choc muffins! telur, minyak jagung, choc chips, tepung, butter etc.


siap susun dlm cup! siap sedia utk dibakar!


sementara tunggu, mkn nugget LEMBU --ramly.
sy penggemar nugget Ramly Burger. sbb dari kecil dah biasa. sedap.
mama pernah jd accountant di sana. give a try.


dah mengembang gebu bukan main! geram sungguh sy!


tgk melimpah ruah muffin i menggebu. ;D
i puas hati dgn rasa dia yg berjaya memikat hati i sendiri.
dan alhamdulilah, semua org pun suka! thee.


okay. puding. mcm biasa campuran bahan, dipanaskan sampai mendidih.
kemudian masukkan dlm mangkuk/bekas mcm ni.


sejukkan sikit, masukkan buah. yummy!


the next day sy bgn seawal 5am taw utk masak makaroni goreng. pun sama, puas hati sbb 1 periuk tu habis licin. family, Nabil, kawan2 cakap sedap. hope so ;) siapa nak rasa, sila dtg rumah! pintu rumah sentiasa tertutup, kena tekan door bell dulu la kalau nak masuk. haha. ;P

mama dan abah org plg gembira tiap kali sy cakap "nak masak" sbb sy jarang masak. bkn tak reti sgt, cuma jadual tak mengizinkan. ece, alasan! betul. dan ayat plg biasa "21 dah... malu tak reti masak" gaaa~ pastu semua buat muka pelik bila sy masak. dush dush!

tp mama ckp lg, air tangan isteri boleh pikat hati suami ;)


Ice Cream/Sorbet/Gelato Recipes


Blueberry Sour Cream Ice Cream:
http://noblepig.com/2009/07/31/keeping-cool.aspx


Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream:
http://stresscake.wordpress.com/2010/06/22/last-chance-strawberry-buttermilk-ice-cream/


Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream:
http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/2007/12/pumpkin-pie-ice-cream.html


Chestnut and Chocolate Ice Cream:
http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/2007/11/chestnut-and-chocolate-ice-cream.html


Black Sesame Ice Cream:
http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/2007/08/black-sesame-ice-cream.html


Raspberry Sorbet:
http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/2007/08/raspberry-sorbet.html


Matcha and White Chocolate Ice Cream:
http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/2007/08/matcha-and-white-chocolate-ice-cream.html


Lemon Basil Ice Cream:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/desserts/lemon-basil-ice-cream/

CHAI KA MASALA


Nothing like using home made masalas and I have made this Chai ka Masala using ginger skins/peels for the event organised by Nithu Bala - BEST OUT OF WASTE.

Usually we end up throwing the peels when we grind ginger paste.
Ingredients:
Green cardamoms ...... handful
Cloves .................. 3-4
Cinnamon stick .... 1 small piece
Black pepper corns... 10-12
Aniseed/fennelseed/saunf... 1 tbsp.
Ginger peels ....... 1/2 cup
Tulsi leaves ........ 10-15.
Method:
1. Wash and wipe the ginger well before peeling. Peel out the skins, spread them on a paper towel and dry them in the microwave for 1 minute first. Open and mix them and repeat doing this 3-4 times until they are crisp.(If the peels are thick then crush them in a pestle and mortar before drying them)
2. Repeat the same process with Tulsi leaves.But Tulsi takes lesser time.
3. Put all the other dry spices in a bowl and microwave for half a second.
4. Grind everything together and store in an air-tight container.