More Than Just Cooking

I remember as a kid that raw salted duck eggs were relatively easy to get; one would simply go to the Chinese market and purchase them.  Now, the only way to have raw salted duck eggs is to make them yourself.  Uncooked salted duck eggs are no longer available for sale at the Chinese market because the FDA banned the import of raw salted duck eggs a few years ago.  All you will find are BOILED salted duck eggs and not raw/uncooked ones.  <Le big sigh of frustration!> If your recipe calls for one, you have to plan ahead and do it yourself because there’s no market ready alternative available.

This is the reason why I have a baker’s dozen worth of duck eggs brining in my kitchen right now.  Have a peek:

Nifty, neat duck eggs brining in style!

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Currently, I am doing some freelance consulting for my friend on a food concept.  I am managing the branding, marketing/promotions and PR effort along with doing the culinary consulting and recipe testing.  It’s a really exciting opportunity and I’m happy to contribute to the growth birth of his business.   I take great pride in my work and effort so even though he is my friend, I will refer to him in my blog as my client from here on out.

Please excuse the lack of details and insights as to exactly what I am working on with my client’s concept.  Out of respect for his business and my desire to have him succeed, I will be giving you only a general overview but no details for proprietary reasons.  I can tell you this much: it’s a mobile dining concept for Midtown Manhattan.  Closer to launch, I’ll be able to fill you in.

Tonight was my client’s focus group and menu tasting event.  I worked the line alongside the owner (and chef) to prepare the core menu items.  I then lead the focus group discussion using the customer survey that I created as a guide.  This event was the culmination of 3 days of hard work – one day for sourcing and shopping, one day of prepping and one day of production, plating, service and focus group discussion.  Over 14 hours of labor, the love of food and a big dose of can-do spirit went into this event for tonight.

I’m finally able to sit down and take in the fact that it was an awesome event and filled with a promise of great things to come for my client’s concept.  The event was filled with people eager to give of their time and energy towards an exciting project.  A hearty thank you to those who participated!  More details to come…this chick-do has to get her shut-eye!

‘Nite!

We celebrated Father’s Day on Saturday instead of Sunday because I had to drive back to New York early Sunday morning.  It was a simple, uncomplicated dinner at home that had the special addition of a Cantonese fried chicken (“gha gee gai“) purchased from Good Fortune restaurant in Wheaton, MD.  It may not have been an economical move to purchase something from a restaurant but it was practical.  Who wants to handle a detailed recipe that includes roasting and frying in their kitchen at home when it’s a humid, muggy day?  (Anyone who says yes either has a tricked out kitchen or is a glutton for punishment.)

With absolutely no fanfare but lots of love for my folks, I present to you a snapshot of our dinner.  Please note that this photo is a good representation of our family’s practical nature.  My parents value function over unnecessary fussiness.  Ma and Ba keep it real. (In the spirit of keeping it real, I edited the photo with the hideous yellow bar on top as an attempt to virtually tidy up the table.  FAIL!  Must.try.harder.next.time!) UPDATE 07/22/10: Guess who is learning how to Photoshop on her own?  YUP!

Clockwise: Cantonese fried chicken, Dad's catsup shrimp, steak, broccoli. Simple and TASTY!

It was a great dinner, with only one minor flaw.  The Cantonese fried chicken was somewhat overcooked which resulted in dry meat.  A properly done Cantonese fried chicken has a crispy crackling skin on top of moist, juicy meat flavored with slight hint of salt and five spice powder.  The fat should be rendered out from the chicken to the point where you are only left with the contrast of crunchy skin and succulent meat.  Even those this bird was not ideal, it was still tasty once doctored up with some lemon juice and dry fried pepper-salt mix or “wah yeem“.

The catsup shrimp is my dad’s invention.  It’s just shrimp stir fried in a sauce of catsup, Lee & Perrins Worcestershire, sauce, garlic, onions, sugar and some broth.  Everything is done by taste and not by measuring cups but I’ll break it down for you one day soon.  The meal was rounded out by a simple pan fried steak  seasoned with salt and pepper along with a side of steamed broccoli tossed in butter and salt.

The best part of the meal?  The whole family was eating together.  Hope you had a good Father’s Day!

If you want a dinner as easy ABC make a BLT!  Here’s how I made my BLT for tonight’s dinner.  It probably isn’t standard, traditional way of making it but I loved it!

-Get sidetracked by some fresh tomatoes and crisp lettuce in the East Village farmer’s market.  Ponder and purchase.

-Then go to East Village Cheese and get authentic Portuguese hero rolls from NJ.  Make sure they’re the fresh ones!

-Wash and clean your produce when you get home.  Tear the lettuce into manageable pieces and put the tomato aside for slicing later.

-Against better judgment in this heat, turn your oven on to 350F and pour a glass of something cold to drink.

-Take applewood smoked bacon from Trader Joe’s (or any ol’ bacon) out of the fridge and place several slices on a cookie sheet

-Note that you’d normally preheat the oven but wanting to minimize the craziness with using the oven in this heat, you place the bacon in now.

-Then run like heck out of the kitchen with your cold drink and check on your bacon in about 20 minutes.  (Must-avoid-heat!)

-When the bacon is done to your liking (I like mine slightly chewy and a mite crisp on the edges, hence the lower and longer cooking temp and time), remove it from the oven, drain the fat and set it aside while you assemble your BLT.

-Slice your hero roll lengthwise.

-Slather it with a mix of Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise and McCormick Mayonesa con Limon.  (I love international mayo!)

-Slice your tomato however you want but just don’t cut your fingers.  It’ll make the sandwich taste bad.

-Assemble: lettuce first, bacon and then your tomatoes.

-Give it a squish o’ love with the palm of your hand <squish!> and go enjoy this:

Yes, that is a Shape magazine behind the BLT.

Sit down and eat this tasty sandwich.  Relish in the fact that there are no pots to clean, no bowls, just a cookie sheet, cutting board, and two knives.  You could plate this if you wanted to but I ate it off the cutting board.  Don’t judge!

Easy as ABC!

When I was a kid, I LOVED Orangina.  Mainly because it was one of the few ma-approved “fun” drinks that were allowed in the house.  Soda was blacklisted as an everyday drink unless it was for birthday parties.  Ma only agreed to buy Orangina because it contained real fruit pulp and juice.  All of 2%.  It may not sound like a large amount but it was enough to help me pitch Orangina as a “healthy” drink and not soda.  (Look, this was back before reading labels was in style.  And back when the dollar was strong.  But I digress.)  Thank goodness for the pulp & juice content because otherwise she would have said no.

I like to treat myself to an Orangina when I can find one.  Even though I have fond memories of Orangina, I found another – EVEN BETTER – fizzy citrus drink that I love more.  It’s San Pellegrino Aranciata.  Hello, tasty deliciousness!

Refreshing deliciousness, Italian style

My chic, grown-up, sophisticated (cough, *SARCASM*, cough) taste buds discovered San Pellegrino Aranciata a few years ago.  What I enjoy the most about San Pellegrino Aranciata is its refreshing orange taste without any of the cloying sweetness you find in other brands.  There’s a good balance of sweet, tart and a hint of bitterness that makes it a very delicious drink in the summer for me.  When you’re done drinking it there’s no treacly aftertaste in your mouth, just a clean finish.  The drink has a good amount of carbonation – don’t you hate it when there’s no fizz in fizzy drinks? – which brings everything all together.  If you prefer, San Pellegrino makes a lemon fizzy drink as well and that is just as delicious.

Make sure to serve it well chilled and not over ice.  The ice will melt and dilute the drink.  You will find it at most upscale markets or gourmet foodstores.  Rumor has it that you can find it at Costco but call to check.  I purchased mine at Murray’s Cheese shop on Bleeker ($0.99).

In a nutshell, I think San Pellegrino Aranciata is the grown up drink for someone who used to drink Orangina as a kid.  Keep in mind this is not a slight against Orangina!  Not at all.  I still think it is tasty and I would gladly drink an Orangina if it’s available!  Though I have to admit that if given a choice, I would take a San Pellegrino Aranciata over an Orangina any day.

Think of it this way, it’s like graduating from Bonne Bell Lip Smackers to MAC Lip Glass.  You like what you grew up with but you’re glad that you’ve discovered something a bit more “grown”.

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