Real tom yung goong

 Well, I wish I was the one who did the traveling, but my nephew who has travelled so much this year, sent me these pictures of his latest food adventure. I commend him for wanting to explore the world in the quest of finding what he really wants in life. Food and travel seem to put a lot of things into perspective for a lot of people.

No fancy restaurants here, just good hearty street food.

Street vendor featured in National Geographic

My nephew hunted down this street vendor that was featured in the National Geographic's food guide to the planet. You choose your ingredients and they'll prepare it for you. *update - the name of the place or vendor is Tom Yung Banglampu*

Tom yung goong

I asked him what the white clumps in the soup were and he said it might be the fat from the shrimp heads - read cholesterol!

Thai omelet

A thai omelet is made of crispy egg layers.

Their chili dipping sauce is er, a bit too spicy according to my nephew.

Their trip to the night market in pictures.

Not sure what that grilled stuff above is. anybody? *update: thai sausage with chili inside...so beware*

Bet those fish were caught only hours before, before being stuffed and thrown on the grill.

Amazing sea of cooked prawns! In case you all didn't notice, we keep the shrimp heads on outside the United States. They taste good! High in cholesterol though.

pad thai

Simple banana crepe with condensed milk

Mangosteen - one of my favorite fruits

Sorry I cannot add more commentary as it's not my travel experience but these pictures make me want to go to Bangkok. Looks like when I get the chance (and the money), I'd love to make it an HK-Bangkok-Singapore-Japan trip.

I really wish our Asian (or other ethnic) restaurants in RVA will cook food more authentic to their culture instead of sweetening it up for the American palate. However, I don't blame them. What's the use of cooking real Thai or Vietnamese or Chinese if you're going to be out of business in a year...or less...

But if a few established restaurant groups back up this concept and afford to take a risk, then maybe...just maybe this may spark a revolution and shake up the Richmond dining scene.

So here is an immigrant’s point of view...

When I first moved to the U.S. 14 years ago I was smacked right in Charleston, West Virginia. My hometown in the Philippines had more restaurants per capita. When the recruiter asked me where I wanted to go for dinner I said, “Mc Donald’s!”

There is that colonial mentality (the Philippines was under U.S. governance for a couple of years) rearing its head and everything that is American is popular in the Philippines courtesy of Hollywood movies and TV shows.

My first U.S. meal in McDonald’s was a disappoint because there was no fried chicken with rice. Apparently fast food franchises adapt their menu to a country’s taste.
The next fast food to disillusion me was KFC, chicken was bland and the gravy tasted of pepper and nothing else.

Got me wondering, why do fast foods in the Philippines taste better than their U.S. counterpart. You would think it would be the same formula. Up to this day when I go home for a visit, I can’t wait to have a midnight meal at KFC before heading up to my hometown of Baguio. The food is definitely tastier, the chicken is served with rice and you’ve got the tastiest gravy courtesy of a gravy pump by the condiments section - a gravy pump! Warm gravy that tastes like well-seasoned drippings from a roast chicken.

To eat at an American fast food chain in the Philippines isn’t cheap. It’s almost a treat to do so, one you would reserve during payday or the family weekend out. Most families still cook their meals from scratch and frozen dinners are not very popular because not everyone has a freezer so when they spend money to eat out, it better taste good and that includes fast food restaurants.

Twelve years ago I moved to Richmond and I was excited thinking the fast food was better - bigger city, right? I still didn’t cook remember? My recruiter this time asked me if I liked seafood because there’s this place known for their crabs. I was thrilled remembering the whole dungeness crab I had at Fisherman’s wharf in San Francisco. This was the “The Hard Shell” and no there were no piles of steamed whole dungeness crabs...just crab legs. Best pizza in town that time apparently was Bottoms up pizza.

I had an eerie feeling that all food tasted the same.

I was new in town, I didn’t know of Carytown or the Fan area yet. I was too timid to explore the Metro on my own because a friend told me there were some places I didn’t want to get lost in and I hate parallel parking.

When my brother and his family came for a visit, I took them to Olive Garden. I was almost apologetic about that meal because it was the most expensive I could afford and it tasted like nothing. We were eating crappy fast food most of the time. I figured when we head up to New York, we'd eat better.

A few months later, things started to happen, a new co-worker who was originally from Berkley, California befriended me and asked me if I tried this incredible noodle bowl from this Chinese restaurant. That’s how I got my introduction to Full Kee.

Then I had another friend come in for a visit and I was desperate as to where to take her - this person loved good food.That’s when “Hungry” Hubby (HH) who was then just a co-worker and sitting a cubicle away, told me about Franco’s (Paolo Randazzo of Sensi 's old place). He said I’ve got to try this place and was I glad I did. Both my friend and I were transported to heaven by our meal there.

From then I followed the trail down the rabbit hole and uncovered a whole new world of food.

I could see some reasons why the American tastebuds are so middling.

If they do not know what they’ve been missing in the first place, they are less likely to look for it.

This is more apparent when raising a family in the suburbs. In between a day job, picking a child from day care and running the other kid to soccer practice, one would likely dine closer to home, and what do we have in suburbia? Chain restaurants and mediocre Italian joints in strip malls. But then do fast foods purposely keep the flavor that way because that's what people want? Vicious cycle.

So one starts to feed their kids that stuff and likely shaping their palates into mediocrity all the way to adulthood.

I know a couple who used to frequent the Fan and Carytown restaurants but when they had kids they didn’t really want to travel too far from their suburban home because the babysitter costs money.

Another is sports bars and America’s love for sports. If there’s a sports bar that serves decent food, please let me know. I could be wrong.

The franchises are the ones with money to advertise so it’s a losing battle at that end for locally-owned restaurants.

But locally-owned, neighborhood restaurants are not any better. Yes, there's more than a few that open with such promise only to fall back into the formulaic mediocrity of their chain restaurant counterparts. Are crabcakes on every restaurant menu really necessary?

I'm ready for more exciting food, aren't you RVA? Let's let our chefs take risks in their creativity and lets go support them.

I do see a glimmer of hope, at least in Short Pump. We now have Lehja. Also Pescado’s had their start in the Southside, opened Pescado’s China street in Oregon Hill and now have The White Anchovie in the West End. We need more folks like them who have enough clout to pave the way for good dining and to raise the bar past mediocrity in Richmond.

Sorry for rambling....

* I do eat fast food sometimes. I think Chipotle rocks as a fast food chain. I like Chick-fil-a and you'll most likely find me at Mc Donald's on a hot day ordering a quarter-pounder with cheese with one of their perfectly-carbonated sodas.

Before the word foodie was ever coined, before the Food Network made cooking cool and before there were celebrity chefs, there was my dad.
I’m not sure how he got into cookery. I know my grandmother made authentic Chinese food, raised her own chickens and dried her own duck, so I’m sure my dad learned a lot from her. His favorite how-he-got-started story though, was when he was a dishwasher in this restaurant and the cook quit; the owner asked him if he, my dad, wanted to become the cook - I guess that’s how he got started being in charge of a kitchen.
Like all Chinese wishing to have a better life, he knew he had to get an education. So while getting his degree in accounting he opted instead to work for a fine goods grocery store during the day so he can go to night school. But he did not let this deter him from his love of cooking. Apparently he loved exchanging recipes with his customers. When I asked him where he got the tuna salad sandwich spread I loved so much, he said it was from an American missionary.

Uncle Johnny {left}, Dad {right}

From a very early age my dad had instilled in me that when it comes to food, money is no object. My dad had never flinched in plunking down hefty dough to get first choice on the freshest fish, the biggest prawns or the plumpest duck. Even when the restaurant was having slow times he would find a way to provide quality meals for his family.
He doesn’t approve though of eating out at restaurants around town. He would say, “Why would you want to eat outside when you have the best food at home?” If there was a dish I liked at another eatery he would ask me to take it home so he can recreate it for me. However, teen-agers also liked pizza and I think that was one item my dad couldn’t replicate so my brother and I would sometimes sneak some pizza into the house late at night.

That said, the objective of most of our out-of-town day trips involved eating at places known for their fish, crab or grilled specialties. I recalled a trip where my dad, the driver and I went to this place famous for pit-roasted pig called lechon that was served with an incredible liver sauce. Though I recall consuming a lot and waddling out of that restaurant, I think my dad exaggerates when he repeatedly tells the tale of me eating most of the 2 kilos of that heavenly porcine fare. I think I was just twelve, how could I eat so much then?
Anyway, a common conversation at dinner is what we should eat for tomorrow’s dinner.
I know right? How could we keep on talking about food? You grow up with it, I guess and it becomes second nature. (My husband couldn’t understand it at first and thought I needed some therapy...that is until he met my family, now I kinda rubbed off on him.)

Even when I left my hometown to work in Manila, my dad worried if I had enough to eat and would constantly send me boxes of goodies. One time it was my birthday and he sent an entire feast via the bus or rather care-of the bus driver: roast chicken, the fixings including a perfect birthday cake from him and mom.
No doubt, my dad loved all food: duck, pork, crab, steaks...but all these were not without consequences.
Before I left for the U.S. in October 1996, I spent the weekend in Baguio and spent a day talking to my dad about the future and the past. Finally he said, “Send me a plane ticket so I can come visit and we can go eat steaks or I can come cook for you.” Ahh, my dad, always worrying that his daughter is gonna go hungry.

After that night’s going-away party we gave each other a hug good-bye.
That was the last time I hugged him.
He suffered a heart attack a month later. It was not that bad, he assured me and he had quit smoking, started exercising lightly and ...watching what he ate. I felt so bad for him knowing how much he loved to eat. Not long after he had another setback and surgery was imminent.
On New Year’s Day, 1997, we had a chat on the phone and he told me he wasn’t afraid of surgery anymore and he couldn’t wait to start eating duck again. I laughed and said, “In moderation, Pa.”
That was our last conversation.
He never woke up from surgery.
To this day, my heart breaks when I think of the hope in his voice when I last spoke to him. I find comfort in that I don’t have any regrets in my relationship with my Dad, we were very close as father and daughter, food was such a central part of our lives that it’s not surprising that most of my fondest memories of him involved our hearty meals and chatter around the dinner table or me waiting impatiently beside him as he whipped up Sunday’s special dinner of strip steak and noodles. I don’t think that there’s ever a single day that goes by when I don’t think of him, specially when my thoughts yearn for the dishes from my childhood.
One of these fares is lamb stew, I probably have not had it in 30 years. To recreate it from memory I had to think like my dad....and this is where being my father’s daughter comes in handy.

Lamb Stew

The fat of the lamb is what gives the stew its special flavor so do NOT cut it out from the meat.

Happy Father’s day! Now go give your dad a hug...

George's Lamb Stew

2 lbs lamb cubed
1 med onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, smashed and roughly chopped
2 tbs oil
2 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbs dark brown sugar
1 can tomato sauce, 8 ounces
1 tbs. Tomato paste
2 med potato - cut in large chunks
3 med carrots - cut in large chunks
1 cup water
1/2 chicken bouillon (from the Asian store)
Bay leaf
Salt & pepper to taste

Saute onions in 2 tablespoons of oil until translucent. Add the garlic and continue sauteing until aromatic.
Add the lamb and brown. Make sure that the fat makes contact and caramelizes a bit. Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar and continue cooking for a little bit.
Add the tomato sauce and 1 cup of water (I usually use the tomato sauce can and fill it with water and add that).
Bring the mixture to a boil and then simmer.
Finally add the tomato paste, chicken bouillon, bay leaf, a third of the carrots (to sweeten the stew) and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Cook until lamb is tender about 1.5 hours.

In the last 30 minutes of cooking add the rest of the carrots and the potato and cook until these are tender.
 

It was a crazy busy time for Petites Bouchees last week, I was considering becoming a no-show at the conference except I already paid for the non-refundable fees for both the conference and my airplane ticket.

I'm gonna write this post now or I'm never gonna have another opportunity.These next few weeks are going to be - to put it not so mildly - hell. So please excuse the overrun sentences, poor grammar and misspellings.

So off I went to Blogherfood sans a camera except the one from the Iphone.

I first ran into Kamran of Sophisticated Gourmet in the elevator. We instantly recognized each other even if we haven't met in real life yet. He was with 2 other young bloggers,Lauren of Celiac Teen and Elissa of 17 and baking - sigh to be young and full of energy.

I was pleasantly thrilled to see my long time blogger buddies, T.W. of Culinary Types & Lydia of Perfect Pantry. Though at times we fell out of touch through the years, I'll never forget that we were the "old-timers" back when blogging was so different. I also met Andrea Meyers of Andrea's Recipes and Kalyn of Kalyn's kitchen. Five of us kinda hang out throughout the whole conference and I had so much fun in their company, hope they did too.

Joining our group at times were Kelly of Sass and Veracity, Susan of Sticky, Gooey, Creamy Chewy.

And after being blog friends for five long years, I finally met Jaden of Steamy Kitchen.

Also after being online friends for so long, also had the pleasure of meeting Aran Goyoaga of Canelle et Vanille who had her adorable baby girl Miren with her.(I remember Aran was one of my first customers at Petites Bouchees - such support!)

So what about the conference tracks? I must admit I did not complete any of the first day tracks I attended because either I was too sleepy and can't stay awake (read grumpy to just sit still) or I just couldn't find value in those sessions for an experienced blogger.

Apparently some other bloggers felt the same and we spent "conference" hours catching up on blog gossip in a cafe in the lobby.

I was more hopeful for the second day because Aran was presenting a food photography seminar and Dianne Jacobs (who had coached me on finding my voice) was presenting another one about recipe copyright. Problem was they were both on at the same time. What a dilemma!

Good thing was, Aran was presenting first, so when she finished I left the food photography track and stepped into a very animated discussion going on at the recipe copyright one.

To put it mildly David Leite of Leite's Culinaria doesn't think much of bloggers who post recipes from cookbooks on their blogs even if it seems that you are promoting that book. You should always ask permission from the publisher to post a recipe. I'm still on the fence on this one and this has given me a lot of food for thought. {Ha! couldn't resist that cliche! update. 5/23 *the right word is pun* thanks David! }

Anyway, great solid sessions in the morning but the afternoon one proved to be the most fun. We got to watch Mrs. Wheelbarrow make sausage. Oh if I could only go back and document all the tweets, you would think we were watching porn. "Lubricate a stuffer, anyone?"

I was wondering why, if the conference was about food blogs, shouldn't there be at least one session a day that is food-related? Or would that be too specific?

I guess it bothers me that a lot of the sessions were focused on monetizing your blog and there's nothing about the passion for food. I mean, that should be the first reason you start a food blog, right? There was even a session about branding.... branding...! I was baffled and asked Lydia "What will you brand? Your blog?"

Are we taking ourselves too seriously? Are the blog-haters right in saying that we are such a self-absorbed lot?

I must be the most disconnected blogger right now because I  went into the conference with no business cards for my blog. So when I got asked on numerous occassions to exchange cards, I had none to offer. And the "Hungry" hubby will probably laugh because when he asked me what's the benefit of going, I said "To network!" Well, it's kinda hard to network if you don't have a business card to hand your information over.

I think I need to take my blog more seriously.

But you know what, the most valuable takeaway from the conference was connecting with old and current blog friends. Will I attend another Blogher? Probably not. But other conferences that are not too intertwined with food sponsors, maybe yes.

But I am not complaining about the Scharffen Berger bars I took home with me. I was prepared to pay for them anyway, I was just lucky they were free.

It took me some planning to set project ramen into play. For my sanity, I figured I needed at least 3 days to make this happen. I’m not talking about the instant noodle variety here. If you “google” how to make ramen, you will sadly get some hits on Youtube of how to make ramen in a microwave oven.

Nope, we’re past college days here, folks. We’re talking about the revered art of ramen-making where the broth is a significant if not the ultimate component. It is the broth that animates your noodles and everything else you put into your bowl.

I was serious in my quest for the perfect ramen. I even watched “Tampopo” in preparation and the movie reiterated how the Japanese culture takes this noodle soup seriously. I was immediately taken with how a ramen grand master guides his apprentice on how to appreciate a humble bowl of ramen before tucking into it. For hard-core ramen makers, the position of your toppings also matter, but there is very little else written about that.

Hubby reminded me to be careful about what I was feeling when I made the broth. From another movie, “Ramen Girl”, one should pour your emotions into its creation, it doesn’t matter if you are happy or sad, otherwise your broth, despite following careful instructions to simmer 6-7 hours, is going to end up bland and lacking the nuance of spirit.

I remember a giant cauldron of stock beside the main cooking stations in our restaurant. Whole chickens and pork bones would go into the pot in the morning and simmer for an entire day and dishes from stir fries and soups would draw their liquid from it. There are times when the noodle soup (chicken mami) would taste fantastic and there are times when the soup would taste anemic like dish water (not that I know what dish water tastes like). I think it depends how inspired the cook was that day, huh?

That is why I broke up my ramen-making schedule into 3 days because I didn’t want to feel rushed, impatient or annoyed at my broth. So I don’t want to feel rushed, impatient or annoyed after eating my ramen.
 

Three days to ramen

Because the recipe is almost 4 pages long, I’ll preface the recipe with my cooking notes. Most of the recipes I used, except the noodles ,are from David Chang’s Momofuku cookbook. I experimented with ramen noodles earlier this year and the recipe could be found here.

I’m also sold on Benton bacon, the smokiness it imparts to the broth is unparalleled. I think Alan Benton’s bacon is in high demand right now because his website states a waiting period of 4 weeks so if you are planning to use his product, you better take note of its availability. I ordered mine in January and had to wait 3 weeks before it arrived.

Components of the broth

Other sources for Richmond folks:

Neck Bones - can be obtained from Whole Foods, they arrive every Tuesday.
Chicken Backs - also at Whole foods, I believe they're frequently available.
Pork Belly - I like to get mine from Tan-A or Far East Grocery located on Horsepen and Broad. I find that Asian pork belly are meatier and more suitable for Asian cooking. Don’t forget to have them take the skin off.
* You can skip the pork belly and use Char Siu also known as Chinese roast pork. Full Kee sells this on the weekend and they make them well.
Usukuchi, Sake and Mirin - are available at most Asian markets. But I buy most of my Japanese ingredients from Tokyo Market in Carytown.

I don’t think I’m going to poach my eggs this way again, too much work for home cooking. But if you want to, the more water in the pot, the easier it is to keep a steady temperature.

Poaching eggs in 140F temperature

However, it was amazing to see a seemingly uncooked egg fall out of its shell - quivering whites and an intact yolk.

poached egg

The process of preparing a ramen bowl isn’t complicated as it’s a list of easy tasks, some as simple as simmering ingredients together. However, it can be confusing. So after trying to arrange the steps chronologically in my head, I finally put things on a little worksheet so I don’t forget anything.

The most time-consuming part of course is the broth. I cooked mine for six hours. In case you are wondering why you can’t just throw everything in the pot together and simmer, some ingredients like the konbu has a temperature where it releases maximum flavor and any extended steeping might introduce a bitter taste. The bacon, for example, is taken out after 45 minutes, maybe so it doesn’t become the dominant flavor or aroma. Spent shiitake mushrooms can be pickled afterwards.

I decided to give my chicken a salt rub so there will be less scum in the broth.

roasted neck bones

The pork neckbones spent the longest time in the broth. I always thought 6 hours was excessive, but I could tell subtle differences in the depth of flavor as it cooked longer and it was not from concentrating the liquid either because I was constantly replenishing with water. Like any stock, do not allow the liquid to boil and be diligent in removing impurities.

So, was making my own broth worth it? Definitely. I even dare say that mine tasted better than what I’ve had a Momofuku’s. There was so much joy and satisfaction getting in that first bite and slurping in that last drop from a noodle bowl made carefully from one's own hand . I think I did pour the right emotion and spirit into the making of my ramen.

related posts:

Ramen noodle recipe

Pork Belly Buns

Toppings: enoki mushrooms (which I skipped), chopped scallions, pickled shiitake, egg, naruto (steamed fish) and braised bamboo shoots

Ramen Broth

Two 3-by-6 inches Konbu
6 quarts water
2 cups dried shiitakes, rinsed
4 pounds chicken, either whole bird or legs
5 pounds meaty pork meaty bones
1 pound smoky bacon, preferably Benton’s
1 bunch scallions
1 medium onion, cut in half
2 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
Tare, preferably or kosher salt, soy sauce, mirin

Rinse the konbu under running water, then combine it with the water in an 8-quart stockpot. Bring the water to a simmer over high heat and turn off the heat. Let steep for 10 minutes.
Remove the konbu from the pot and add the shitakes. Turn the heat back up to high and bring the water to a boil, then turn the heat down so the liquid simmers gently. Simmer for 30 minutes, until the mushrooms are plumped and rehydrated and have lent the broth their color and aroma.
Preheat oven to 400F.
Remove the mushrooms from the pot with a spider or slotted spoon. Add the chicken to the pot. Keep the liquid at a gentle simmer, with bubbles lazily and occasionally breaking the surface. Skim and discard any froth, foam, or fat that rises to the surface of the broth while the chicken is simmering, and replenish the water as necessary to keep the chicken covered. After about 1 hour, test the chicken: the meat should pull away from the bones easily. If it doesn’t, simmer until that’s the case and then remove the chicken from the pot with a spider or slotted spoon.
While the chicken is simmering, put the pork bones on a baking sheet or in a roasting pan and slide them into the oven to brown for an hour; turn them over after about 30 minutes to ensure even browning.
Remove the chicken from the pot and add the roasted bones to the broth, along with the bacon. Adjust the heat as necessary to keep the broth at a steady simmer; skim the scum and replenish the water as needed. After 45 minutes, fish out the bacon and discard it. Then gently simmer the pork bones for 6 to 7 hours - as much time as your schedule allows. Stop adding water to replenish the pot after hour 5 or so.
Add the scallions, onion, and carrots to the pot and simmer for the final 45 minutes.
Remove and discard the spent bones and vegetables. Pass the broth through a strainer lined with cheesecloth. You can use the broth at this point, or if you are making it in advance and want to save on storage over high heat, then portion out the concentrated broth into containers. It keeps for a couple of days in the refrigerator and up to a few months in the freezer. When you want to use it, dilute with an equal measure of water and reheat it on the stove.
In either case, finish the broth by seasoning it to taste with the tare. Some days the salt of the bacon, or the seaweed, or whatever comes out more than others. Only your taste buds can guide you as to the right amount of seasoning; start with 2 or 3 tablespoons per quart. Taste it and get it right. I like it so it’s not quite too salty but almost. Very seasoned. Underseasoned broth is a crime

Tare

This is the main seasoning - the primary salt component for ramen shops in Tokyo. This is one of the mysterious recipes because each shop has their own concoction and it is made far from other prying eyes.

2 to 3 chicken backs, or bones and their immediate attendant flesh and skin, reserved from butchering 1 chicken.
1 cup sake
1 cup mirin
2 cups usukuchi (light soy sauce)
Fresh ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 450F
Cut chicken back into 3 pieces, split rib cages in half, and separate thigh from leg bones. (More surface area = browning area = deeper better flavor, as long as you don’t burn the bones.)
Spread the bones out in a wide (12- to 14-inch) ovenproof saute pan or skillet and put it in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour: check on the bones after 40 minutes to make sure they’re just browning, not burning. You want deeply browned bones, and you want the fond- the fatty liquid caramelizing on the bottom of the pan- to be very dark but not blackened. (A fleck of black here and there, or at the edges of the pool, is fine, but charred fond is useless; it will only add bitterness and should be discarded.) Watch the bones color, and pull them out when they’re perfectly browned.
When the bones are browned, remove the pan from the oven and put it on a stovetop. Pour a splash of the sake onto the pan and put the pan over a burner and turn the heat to medium-high. Once the sake starts to bubble, scrape the fond up off the bottom of the pan.
Once the fond is free from the bottom of the pan, add the remaining sake, mirin, and soy to the pan and turn the heat under it to high. Bring the liquid to a boil, then lower the heat so that it barely simmers. Cook for 1 hour. It will reduce somewhat, the flavors will meld, and the tare will thicken ever so slightly.
Strain the bones out of the tare and season the liquid with 5 or 6 turns of black pepper. The tare can be used right away or cooled and then stored, covered, in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days.

Toppings:

Pork Belly recipe here.

Slow-poached eggs
Bring a huge pot of cold water to 140F - 145F, add your eggs - (it’s best if they do not touch the bottom of the pan where it is hottest). Let them bathe for 40 to 45 minutes, checking the temperature regularly with the thermometer or by sticking your finger in the water (it should be the temperature of a very hot bath) and moderate it as needed.
You can use the eggs immediate or store them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. (If you are planning on storing them, chill them until cold in a n ice-water bath.) If you refrigerate the eggs, warm them under piping-hot tap water for 1 minute before using.
To serve the eggs, crack them one at a time into a small saucer. The thin white will not and should not be firm or solid; tip the dish to pour off and discard the looses part of the white, then slide the egg onto the dish it’s destined for.

Fish cakes (naruto)

Bamboo shoots (aka menma)

12 ounce can sliced bamboo shoots
splashes of grapeseed and Asian sesame oils
splash of usukuchi
Salt, possibly

Drain the bamboo shoots in a colabder and rinse them well under running water. Put them in a small saucepan with the oils, soy, and chile, if you have it, and stew them over low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Taste them, and season with salt if needed. Set aside until ready to use, or refrigerate for 3 or 4 days; reheat them before adding to soup.

Nori
stick a sheet in the bowl, halfway submerged and pinned between the noodles and the bowl, and you’re done.

Pickled Shiitake
4 loosely packed cups (about 1/3 ounce) dried shiitake mushrooms (or use spent shiitake caps from the Ramen Broth)
1 cup sugar
1 cup usukuchi (light soy sauce)
1 cup sherry vinegar
Two 3-inch knobs of fresh ginger, peeled
Steep the shiitakes in boiling water (or really hot tap water) in a medium mixing bowl until softened, about 15 minutes.
Lift the shiitakes from the steeping water, trim off and discard their stems, and cut the caps into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Reserve 2 cups of the steeping liquid, and pass it through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any sand or debris.
Combine the reserved steeping liquid, the sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, and sliced shiitakes in a saucepan. Turn the heat to medium, bring to a simmer, and simmer gently (bubbles should lazily rise up to the surface), stirring occasionally for 30 minutes. Let cool.
Discard the ginger, and pack the shiitakes (and as much of the liquid as necessary to cover them) into a quart container. These pickles are ready to eat immediately and will keep, refrigerated, for at least 1 month.
 

I have made no secret for my love of pork. For me, it doesn't deserve second billing to chicken as the other white meat, it is so much more than that(not that I have anything against chicken). But can I really blame people for that comparison, when supermarket meat cases carry these lean segments of pork loin stripped of all the fat? I guess I should be thankful for America’s love of pork ribs - I love them too and am thankful for the fat left in those - but not as much as I love the flavorful belly of the pig.

Though I’m mostly immune to some groups who are openly vocal about omnivores being some kind of animal killers, I am grateful to them for making me aware of food industry practices around the world.

The thing is, I grew up pretty much where food was farm-to-table.

My hometown province in the Philippines, Benguet, is known as the nation's “salad bowl” because of its huge production of vegetables. The South China sea and its bounty of fresh fish is but an hour drive and we have a slaughter house right in the heart of the city rumored also to be serving up the fabled aphrodisiac soup #5. The native peasants, who raise ducks and chicken, regularly stop by our restaurant to sell their animals and my dad or grandma would expertly convert these fowls into delicious white-cut chicken, stewed, roast or dried duck.

Yup, I’ve seen my dad or grandma deftly slaughter poultry - slit, scald, de-feather & gut them before my very eyes. You can say I was de-sensitized at a very young age.

This had carried over several years into my living in the United States. I sort of accepted the meat in supermarkets without questioning its sources (I assumed the processing plant wasn’t too far) but I have also wondered about chicken being so tasteless. It’s only in the past six years after starting a food blog that I’ve seen through the food industries’ dirty little secrets and now store shelves are becoming less and less appealing to me.

It’s enough to turn me into a vegetarian...okay...maybe I exaggerate a bit (and I can hear my brothers laughing their heads off). After all, I’m the kid who picked the potato and carrots out of the lamb stew and threw them under the table so I can eat more lamb. Besides, didn’t vegetables get their fair share of bad press with e-coli and salmonella?

Nothing is safe, the price of industrialization is steep.

Big food plants need to be regulated, food handling has become so mechanized, I wouldn’t be surprised if we’ve bleached the flavor out of our food.

Which is why I want to rediscover my roots and, as cliche at that sounds, how things were done in the good old days.

One thing I have not admitted to in this blog was when I went home to the Philippines last year, I took part in the slaughtering of a duck - uhm....it didn’t turn out very well for me and the duck. Even there the old guard is gone. My mom is 82, walking on a cane (she broke her hip 6-months back) impatiently berating the cooks who didn’t know how to handle the poor fowl and I watched in horror as the poor thing struggled as I was traumatized by the scene. And yes, I could not eat the dish that was made from it.

The experience did not deter me from wanting to learn more about how meat was processed, it spurred me more into finding a place that would teach me about this art.

I’ve always wanted to save up enough money to take one of Kate Hill’s culinary programs like the Marché au gras which is a whole week of duck cookery heaven from confit de canard to foie gras.

I’ve also found Duckfest, a culinary program in Claddagh farms. The past workshop was in December which was not a good time for me to take off.

I was also curious about The French Pig. Kate has teamed up with the Chapolard family - a farmer/butcher family that makes sausage, ham and pâtés to introduce French butchery workshops in the United States.

This certainly saves me a plane ticket, though I wouldn’t mind traveling to Gascony.
The workshop was held in Little Washington at the Stonyman Gourmet Farmer this past Sunday. Oooh, if I had not just come back from my Philippine vacation I would have suggested to the hubby to make a weekend of it and dine at the Inn at Little Washington.

Stonyman Gourmet Farmer

We arrived at the Stonyman Gourmet Farmer a little before 9:00 am on a fine sunny morning. The shop was adorable and people were milling around morning coffee and pastries which were made fresh everyday. I had a delicious pear muffin for breakfast and I immediately could tell that these baked goods were in a class of their own.

I was thrilled to finally meet Kate Hill and Dominique Chapolard. Dom asked me if I was a butcher (or I was in the pig trade) and I said, “No, but I love pork so much.” I suddenly had an image of myself with a cleaver hacking through a big side of meat.

I also got to meet Cathy Barrow, also known as Mrs. Wheelbarrow, one of the founders of Charcutepalooza - a year of meat - a group dedicated to the art of charcuterie.

Dom Chapolard started talking about his love for the pig. He runs a full circle farm together with his wife and three brothers. They grow the grains they feed their pigs, slaughter in a cooperative abattoir ( a group of farmers share the cost), butcher the meat on their farm and produce fresh French pork cuts and delectable charcuterie for their town...and apparently they sell out every week.

I never knew that the French were this passionate about pork.

He also said that the farmer loves his pig and the butcher loves his meat. To show respect for this porcine creature, it is important not to waste anything. This starts from the slaughter. Blood is drained and kept for blood sausage. Whatever scraps are gleaned from cleaning the pig is accumulated in a pile to be made into saucisse later. I think when he said that when you terminate the life of a pig, it is not a “Disney feeling” I think he meant that our sadness when the hunter made Bambi motherless - we felt sad for a while and then we forgot about it after the movie ended. For the butcher, it is a weekly ritual of slaughtering the pig, it is a real feeling that has become part of their affinity with the animal which they have raised from birth and nurtured for a year.

Pigs grow very fast from months 1-6, so whatever you feed it becomes apparent in the weight they put on. In the United States, they are slaughtered at 6 months because feeding it longer than that will be very costly. However, the muscle of a pig at that age is mostly water. That’s why when you cook pork chops bought from American supermarkets, it releases a lot of water.

In France, they let the pig mature to a year because the muscle becomes more dense which translates to more flavor.

So after that intro, it’s best to let the pictures tell the story, no?

Dominique Chapolard

The butcher Chapolard has massive forearms. With the exception of sawing through the joints, he used a non-flexible short boning knife for all his seam butchering.The knife he has above is the Victorinox- 5.5603.14.

leaf lard vs. regular pork fat

He let us feel the difference of the leaf lard which is near the internal organs and the regular fat that is the layer under the skin. The leaf lard is more dense and white and this is perfect for, what else, pie dough!

He first took the front hoofs off at the joint.

Then worked on the hind legs. If you were making ham, you would leave the hoofs on because you hang the ham by this.

Tenderloin

Then Dom worked on the back seam to coax out the tenderloin.

The rib seam

In the U.S., the ribs are a prized cut of the pig, in France these are used as soup bones so when seaming, they take the knife closer to the bone to leave more meat on the pork belly. So the ribcage is pulled away from the ventreche (pork belly) very carefully.

Kate tells us that you never hear the butcher say cutting or chopping, it is always "pull away" or to "free".

Dom adds " In France, we like to take things apart gently."

Freeing the rib-cage from the ventreche

After the ribs, you can take out the pork loin which runs along the back.

Dom said the the pig uses his snout a lot and the meat and loin closer to the head is redder because it has more oxygenation from frequent use.

Pork shoulder

If there is one part of the pig a person in the U.S. can practice seam butchering on, it is the pork shoulder. Notice how Dom pushes down on the bone to expose the joint.

Butchers in the U.S frequently waste the coppa,  the part behind the head sitting on top of the pork shoulder. The coppa is frequently turned into ham.

The shoulder taken apart, Dominique replacing the bone to show where it came from.

Finally the pork butt!

I never thought butchering can be done with such zen and finesse. I always had visions of a cleaver hacking down and splintering some bone or raw flesh splattering everywhere. I guess if you work along the "seam" nothing is wasted. All grizzle, extra fat and meat were dutifully collected by Kate to be turned into saucisse later.

Like these ones, the pair from France slipped pass the beagle at the airport.hahaha!

What do I take away from the class? I wouldn't expect to get me a whole pig to butcher...maybe I'll start with a pork shoulder. Dom Chapolard said to give value to your farmer, do not short-change him because to produce quality product requires time and money. I hope to be able to shop more at the farmer's market this season. I shall do more research and might pay a visit to Polyface farms. I'm still looking for the perfect chicken to make Hainanese Chicken rice.

 Here's a short video of Dominique working on the pork shoulder:

Seam Butchery from Veron Perez on Vimeo

I’ve been so busy this past week getting Petites Bouchees back into gear: seeing clients, returning correspondence, baking macarons and creating fondant/ gum paste decorations, that figuring some time to fit anything else can be quite challenging.

Attempting to lose weight when I am not sure where to insert my workouts and how to plan my meals around my baking schedule are additional tasks that require careful planning.
After all wasn’t it Bill Phillips who said that, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail?" (although I'm quite sure it's a known phrase even before he mentioned it in his book)

I know all of you say it’s just a matter of discipline (seriously, what % of the population has this?) but when you’ve got a gazillon things zinging through your head and if you’ve got the attention span of a gnat, some simple ...er.. research can turn into hours (darn internet) and before you know it you realize that you haven’t done a single tangible productive thing on your to-do list all day.

But the key here is “trying”...

So far I’ve eaten healthy in the beginning of the week and have gotten my 4 workouts in. I kinda fell off the map and went and ate Chinese take-out last night after three consecutive days of crazed baking and making fondant flowers until the wee hours of the morning (surprisingly, when I turned off the t.v., making fondant flowers went faster). It's true that when you are tired you will eat anything.

Before all this madness, I was fortunate to find a Japanese cookbook with easy and rewarding recipes. Harumi’s Japanese home cooking is a gem of a cookbook. I’ve tried several recipes from it and they all turned out very well. Plus, judging from the author’s size, this must be healthy-type eating fare.

I’m not drastic in dieting, I don’t exclude any food groups except, perhaps, pork belly for now. After all, I think I’ve eaten my fair share of it this year. I just try to substitute white rice with brown rice and start eating some vegetables.

So I’m not averse to baking chicken thighs with its skin on. I’d still do anything for crisp chicken skin but someone on twitter told me it’s half the calories of the thigh and so many fat grams. You may try it with breast meat. But I think with high heat cooking, the breast would dry up. Most of the fat will be rendered off anyway and it’s really up to you to slather those delicious drippings back on. And as long as I don’t eat five of this, I think I’m still on track to losing those 5 lbs.
 

Pari-Pari style Chicken

from "Harumi's Japanese home cooking"

Serves 4 (I think it serves 2 as main dish)

1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs on bone with skin on
1 tablespoon shokoshu or dry sherry
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon freshly grated garlic
pepper 2 tablespoons sesame oil - to coat the chicken
Worcestershire sauce -optional

1. Debone the chicken. Lightly score the chicken skin.
2. Mix together the shokoshu, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and pepper and marinate the chicken for about 15 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 425F. Cover a baking tray with foil and place the chicken on it, skin side up. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove and brush with sesame oil. Continue cooking for about 10 minutes more until the skin is crispy.
4. Remove from the oven. While hot, cut the chicken into smaller pieces and arrange on a serving plate. Serve with Worcestershire sauce, if desired.

Harumi suggests her Peppers and Crab Mixed rice. I’m not too fond of peppers and that’s why I didn’t think this rice was anything special. But for those who do love peppers I can see how this might be a recipe to keep.
 

Peppers and crab rice

Peppers and Crab mixed rice

serves 4-6

1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
2 teaspoons granulated chicken stock or 1 chicken bullion cube
1 3/4 cups water
1/2 cup red pepper
1/3 cup green pepper
5-6 mushrooms
1/2 cup cooked white crabmeat
1 3/4 tablespoon butter

1. If using Japanese rice, wash, drain and leave to stand for 30 minutes before cooking.
2. Dissolve the chicken stock powder with a little hot water then add the remaining water.
3. Cut the peppers open and discard the seeds. Cut the red pepper into tiny square pieces (1/4 inch) and chop the green pepper into 1/2-inch square pieces. Slice the mushrooms thinly and loosen the crabmeat flakes, ensuring that there are no pieces of shell remaining. Cut the butter into small pieces.
4. Cook the rice in the chicken stock, adding the bay leaf for extra flavor.
5. Once the rice is cooked, stir in the butter, season with salt and pepper and roughly mix. Then add the peppers, mushrooms and crabmeat, mix again and serve.
    

These two recipes are highly customizable, you may substitute ginger for the garlic in the chicken recipe or season the rice more with any spice you like.
Whether chicken thighs with skin on becomes the next great “diet” food or I’m being delusional that this works remains to be seen. I do think in order to successfully lose weight it helps to look forward to your meal - not dread or feel miserable eating it. I’ll have a macaron or half a cupcake or a piece of chocolate with a cup of espresso and not feel guilty. I did try going to the salad bar at the Whole Foods and realized I’m not the “other” grains or salad type of gal.

I need some meat and I’ll eat my veggies and please don’t hold the rice.

I’ve been wanting to write this post for a while. My time off from any type of legitimate food blogging had me thinking about the term “foodie”. Coincidentally, there is some debate brewing between the “foodies” and the anti-foodies here in Richmond, Va.

Phrases like “wads of vascularized ass-fat” have been forever embedded in my vocabulary.

For more on this story, see here and here. If you are reading this post for the ramen recipe, just skip my chatter and skip a few paragraphs below.

I try to stir clear of food politics, which is probably why I accidentally on purpose left my copy of “Omnivore’s dilemma” on a plane earlier this year. It somehow gets in the way of my enjoyment of food. I already know what is wrong with the food chain here in the U.S., all I have to do is look at the shopping cart of a Mom with 2 1/2 kids checking out at the grocery store.

I’ve also gotten a bit allergic to the term “foodie”. I, for the life of me, have no idea how that word has gotten a bad rap. It’s kinda a mouthful to say, “I’m a person who loves food.” But somehow the word has gotten equated with food elitism - which clearly does not describe me.

I do admit in the beginning of my food blogging days, I’ve explored the realm of fine dining and followed the work of Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud, Michel Richard and company.Years ago, scoring a reservation at El Bulli or the Fat Duck had been my ultimate dream, but that has changed. As one fine dining experience turned less and less gratifying while dollars spent on soulless food  continued growing, I realized that carefully composed plates of 10-course meals were no longer my scene.

I craved dining that satisfied the spirit and bowls of grub that were steeped in culture, not creations driven by the latest technology or a chef’s inflated ego.

Ethnic cuisine, made with recipes handed down through generations, is what makes me smile long after a meal. So forget El Bulli and the Fat Duck, hawker street fare from Malaysia or Singapore is what ultimately stimulates my salivary glands.

So let’s see what side of the Foodie spectrum I fall into:

1. I adore Peking duck, duck confit, pork belly & roast suckling pig. The key theme here is crisp skin and unctuous, glorious fat.
2. I have an annoying trait of insisting to make dishes the right way almost to the point of being unreasonable. Even if it takes a couple of days to prepare and just a few minutes to eat, I continue to forge ahead. I am leery of using shortcuts if they noticeably affect the end-products.
3. I find rice and noodle bowls very appetizing. Specially if there is an egg nestled somewhere in that mess which relates back to the appeal of street food.
4. I am obsessive about finding the right ingredient which can be downright frustrating in a town like Richmond, Va ... and unfriendly to my pocketbook specially if I have to have them shipped from somewhere else.
5. Before macarons, my obsession was apple pie and will remain so until I find the best recipe to make it. More on this in the next post.

Anyway, for purpose of full disclosure, here are some of the skeletons in my “foodie” pantry:

1. I love catsup and knorr seasoning. I argue that this is either culture or genetics because I see my nieces and nephew do the same.
2. Chicken bouillon. I tried, I really tried, specially after Ruhlman lambasted the use of this and insisted that water is a better substitute. Sorry man, I taste the difference. I’m sticking to the knorr soup bouillons cubes I get from the Asian store.
3. I love instant noodles. Though I do get mine from the Japanese store which are infinitely superior to the Cup ‘O Noodles one gets from the neighborhood supermarket.

Fresh Ramen noodles - yes they can be done!

Now just because I love instant noodles doesn’t mean I don’t care for the real thing. Much to the contrary, and just to show how contrary a foodie I can be, I am not averse to making my own ramen noodles ... if the recipe works.

Ramen is a type of Chinese-style wheat noodles popularized in Japan in 1980’s. It may have gotten its name from the Chinese Lo-mien, nobody knows for sure. Ramen-ya(s) are restaurants that specialized in ramen fare and there are thousands of them scattered across Japan. No question, it’s one of that country’s top comfort food, much like cheeseburgers here in the United States.

When I googled making ramen noodles, I was highly amused to see that most of the hits I got were how to microwave those bricks of instant noodles. There were also youtube videos on how to prepare instant noodle - no kidding!

Out of curiosity, I watched Ramen Girl, a film about Abby, a young American woman in Tokyo trying to discover what she wanted out of life... as for me I discovered just how revered the art of ramen-making is in this Eastern culture. A bowl of ramen is meticulously prepared, all ingredients must be in harmony and the broth is what binds all these together - undoubtedly one of the most vital component. One memorable part of the movie was when Abby and her sensei (her ramen chef teacher) went to visit the sensei’s mother because even as Abby executed all the correct techniques needed to make the Ramen broth, something was amiss. After tasting Abby’s broth, the sensei’s mother said that her broth lacks spirit, that her mind was full of other things (her boyfriends keep on leaving her). “When you make your ramen broth you must pour whatever you are feeling into it. If you are sad, pour all your tears into the broth.”

I wasn’t ready to make my broth yet, but I was ready to try out the noodles.

I first tried Momofuku’s ramen noodle recipe using alkaline water instead of the alkaline salts (potassium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate) that were mentioned in the recipe - for one thing I wasn’t ready to spend $50 on those salts.

I failed miserably.

Then I came across this recipe from Tess’s Japanese Kitchen. It uses a special ingredient called kansui which is the alkaline salts in liquid form and it was available at my local Asian market, $3.00 sounds much better than $50.

Kansui - the magic ingredient behind ramen

The dough came together beautifully. The first time I made it, it did feel a bit wet and when I tried to cut the noodles they kept sticking together in two’s. For my next batch, I reduced the water just under the required 1 cup of liquid. I also found Mark of NoRecipes post on ramen very helpful.

Ramen Dough Ball

The dough might feel slightly moist, but you can adjust the water to make it less wet. Wrap this ball in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Prepping dough for the pasta roller

You can use a rolling pin to shape the dough to get it ready for the pasta attachment. But it can be really hard to roll out but just do the best you can and the pasta roller will do the rest. The bench brush in the background is a good tool to remove excess flour.

Stretching the dough out

Using the Kitchen Aid lasagna attachment, I rolled the dough twice through each setting of 1,3 & 5.

By the time the dough was rolled after setting 3, I cut it in half.

Linguine attachment

Make sure to flour enough when you start cutting into threads, the first time I did this I had problems with sticking.

Fresh stacks of ramen!

Here's a short collage of how to cook it.

Click to enlarge

Ramen Noodlesadapted from Tess's Japanese Kitchen

3 cups (415 grams) bread flour
¼ cup ( 35 grams) wheat gluten
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg at room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons Koon-Chun kansui 
diluted in 1 cup water - less water if dough comes out wet

Combine the first four ingredients in a stand mixer bowl. Add the kansui to the cup (or less) of room temperature water. Attach the dough hook to the machine and start mixing at low speed (if using a Kitchenaid, it’s the speed 2). Slowly add your kansui-water mixture. After it forms a ball, continue mixing for another 2 minutes. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for an hour.
Divide the dough into four, work with one quarter and return the rest to the refrigerator. Flatten the dough using a rolling pin until it can pass easily through your pasta attachment. Sprinkle flour on your dough and brush off excess with a bench brush. Connect the lasagna attachment to the Kitchen Aid. On the widest setting (1 on mine), pass the dough through it twice. Continue to flour as needed. Move the setting to a narrower setting (3 on mine) and pass it again twice. By this time the length of the dough is too long and I cut mine in half. I passed the noodle dough twice through the next narrower setting (5 on mine).

Attach the linguini or spaghetti attachment to your mixer. Make sure your dough is well-floured again and pass it through. Guide the noodle strands out and then sprinkle lightly with flour and arrange in a swirl. Use immediately or freeze.
 

*These noodles cook in about 1 minute to 1 and 1/2 minutes depending on how much noodles you drop into the boiling broth and if they were frozen to begin with. On a test batch of my second attempt of making ramen, I noticed a slimy residue upon lifting the noodles from the broth. I determined that this was the starchy by-product of the extra flour or the noodle itself. By a stroke of luck, when I watched Ramen Girl, I noticed that the chef poured hot broth over the noodles after he just lifted the noodles out of the broth.  I adapted this methodology and it took care of the issue. I guess you do learn stuff when watching movies.

Components of scallion-ginger sauce

Since I’m not ready yet to make the recipe for ramen broth, I decided to make ginger scallion noodles. A very simple way to immediately enjoy your noodles.
 

Ginger scallion sauce
from: momofuku cookbook

2 1/2 cups thinly sliced scallions (white and green parts; 1 to 2 large bunches)
1/2 cup finely minced peeled fresh ginger
1/4 cup grapeseed or other neutral oil
1 1/2 teaspoons usukuchi (light soy sauce)
3/4 teaspoons sherry vinegar
3/4 teaspoons kosher salt or more to taste

Combine all the ingredients, taste and check for salt - add more if needed. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes to let the flavors infuse. Can be kept up to two days in the refrigerator.

Quick cucumber pickle

2 meaty kirby cucumbers
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Cut the cucumbers 1/4 inch thick. Toss with the sugar and salt. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Use immediately. Can be kept in the refrigerator up to 4 hours.

Prepare 6 ounces of ramen and toss with 6 tablespoons ginger scallion sauce. Garnish with cucumber pickles.

(I added shitake pickles but I will include that with the ramen broth recipe)

 

Simplest dressing for your ramen noodles

I ordered the Tampopo dvd. I wonder what ramen-making gems I will learn from that.

I really don't know how to describe this past year. It has been filled with travel, family & friends. It's been filled with clarity, confusion, clarity ...wait...is it confusion again?

Anyway, who knows what this New Year will bring. There are many things I want to do and I am so thankful for the hubby for giving me the opportunity to find out what I really want to do in life.

Being disconnected from blogging this past few months has suddenly given me more ideas/opinions that I want to put into the written word. I have finally defined what kind of foodie I am.

But that would be a subject of another post. Right now, we're about to start our "24" season 8 marathon and I'd expect to be occupied for the next 2 days.

So I wish everyone "A Happy and Prosperous New Year!"

In the meantime, here are some pics for the reason of my absence in blogging this past few months.

Macaron gift boxes

packaging

and shipping them....

Warning: Possible rambling post!

Many people get the wrong impression that because I love to bake, I have a big sweet tooth. Sure there are times when I have no choice but to survive on cupcakes for a day but that doesn’t mean I did not want something else, like deep fried pork belly for example.
{Confession: I have a continued addiction to the Coke soda which I am trying control because too much high-fructose corn syrup couldn’t be too good for you and any iterations of it from diet to coke-zero are simply not acceptable. I’m able to curb my craving to some degree with sparkling water so it must also be partly the fizz that I like.}
The truth is I’m very picky with the desserts I put into my mouth. I do not have the metabolism of a bird but I am not afraid of sugar either, my motto is to make every bite count so I want to be satisfied with just a few bites {although for some desserts that really have my number, I’m doomed to overeating}.
If you shove a cupcake laden with American buttercream in front of me, I could feel my throat constricting and my teeth hurting. Giant cookies have no appeal to me and when I see them bunched together in some plastic containers at our finer supermarkets, I find myself wondering if people really eat those. Why not just eat a spoonful of sugar since there really is no other taste that can be gleaned from them.

Apple Cake

So do I have a sweet tooth?

Let’s see:
I love chocolate. {who doesn’t, but I know some who don’t} My favorite form of chocolate desserts are: brownies, pots de creme, chocolate lava cake, chocolate torte (not cake), pastry cream and let’s not forget hot chocolate which I did a comparative study of when I was in Paris {yes, I'm one lady who takes her hot chocolate very seriously.}

I think I love chocolate in rich concentrated form so just a little of it goes a long, long way.

I love cream. Whipped cream, creme fraiche, mascarpone cream, vanilla pastry cream - specially when they are mixed with fruit.

I love yolk-based desserts - creme caramel, ice cream {certain flavors only but vanilla made with real vanilla beans is always a favorite) and pastry cream.

I guess by now you are all saying: “We get it, you like pastry cream.” This is probably why I don’t sell any desserts made with it, the temptation is too strong I’d probably eat the whole bowl even before it gets into the dessert.

I cannot stand doughnuts but I love beignets. Go figure. I peel the glaze off the doughnut before I eat it if I’m desperately hungry enough in the morning {not much left of the donut when you remove the glaze} but I’d eat two huge beignets from Lousiana Flair in a heartbeat.

Rice pudding

I love rice pudding. There’s this Filipino snack called champorado which would probably be the equivalent of chocolate rice pudding - and I could eat it with “gusto” any time of the day. Rice pudding is a dessert staple in Parisian restaurants and one way to test the right consistency of a good rice pudding is if you could stand a wooden spoon in it. Also the rice shouldn’t be overcooked and should still have some “bite” to it so risotto rice, like arborio, is typically the best one to use.

Of course, I’m saving the best for last.

I love tarts and apple pie, specifically my mom’s apple pie. My heart quivers when I see apple anything on the "sweets" menu. “Comfort me with apples” is definitely true when it comes to my dessert choices. Which is why I couldn’t wait to make these "apple-y" creations from Dorie Greenspan’s new book, “ Around My French Table”.

The recipe for Marie-Helene’s Apple cake can be found here. I didn’t have the right size pan which was probably why there wasn’t enough cake batter to cover the cake, but I did like the abundance of apples in this recipe.

Lotsa apples!

However, it was a simple rice pudding that had me in a tizzy for dessert for two days in a row. I’ve also  realized another aspect of dessert that tickles my fancy: hot and cold desserts in one.

Some of my favorite "hot-cold" indulgences:
Vanilla ice cream and hot fudge.
Volcano cake and vanilla ice cream
Warm apple pie and vanilla ice cream
Cold rice pudding, warm caramel sauce and caramel apples
Warm chocolate pudding with a streak of cold milk

Oh, and a pet peeve: cold apple pie.

Rice Pudding and Caramel Apples

From Dorie Greenspan’s “Around my French Table”

For the pudding
pinch of salt
1/2 cup arborio rice
4 cups whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
1.5 to 2 teasopoons vanilla extract

For the apples
2 sweet apples such as Gala, braeburn, or jonagold, peeled
1/4 cup sugar
Fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces at room temperature
1/2 cup apple cider, at room temperature
pinch of salt
1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature

To make the rice pudding. Bring about 3 cups of water and the salt to a boil in a medium to large saucepan. Stir the rice and boil for 10 minutes. Drain, and rinse out the pan.
Put the milk and sugar in the pan and bring to a boil. Stir in the rice, reduce the heat to medium/medium-low, and cook at a steady simmer, stirring frequently. Pay particular attention at the beginning, because he milk has a tendency to bubble up exuberantly and will bubble over even in a tall pot if you don’t catch it and stir it down in time. Stir in the vanilla extract at the end.
Notes from Dorie: watch the pudding closely in the last 10 minutes, don’t cook it until all the milk is gone or you’ll have a stiff pudding. If you are going to chill it add more vanilla extract as the cold will mute flavors.
Press a plastic wrap on the surface and let the pudding cool to room temperature.

To make the apples. Cut the apples into 1/4 inch thick slices and then cut each piece crosswise.
Sprinkle the sugar in the center of a medium nonstick skillet. Moisten with a splash of lemon juice and then turn the heat to medium high. When the sugar melts, bubbles and start to color, either tilt the pan or stir the sugar with a fork or wooden spoon. As soon as the sugar is a nice amber color, pull the pan away from the heat. Stand away, because the mixture will splatter, and add the butter, swirling to mix it in.
Put the skillet on medium heat, pour in the cider, and add the salt. Bring the cider to a boil, then add the apples. cook, stirring often for 5 minutes, or until the apples are tender. Pour in the heavy cream and boil for 1 minute more, then turn the apples and caramel sauce into a heatproof bowl and allow to cool. The apples are ready to serve when they are just slightly warm or at room temperature. (Don’t taste them as soon as they’re cooked: the caramel is dangerously hot.)
Put a little of the caramel sauce in the bottom of each bowl or glass, top with rice pudding, and finish with apples and a little more sauce. If you’d like, add a dollop of whipped cream.
 

It took all my self-control not to eat the whole thing. Maybe I just like rice, maybe I just like creamy goodness and to top that with caramel apples, this sure beats any plated desserts that defy the laws of physics. What stopped me was knowing that I put 4 cups of milk in it and even if most of the liquid had evaporated or absorbed, I don’t think the calories did.

What about you? What desserts define your sweet tooth?