Meatball Crawl 2011

Scouring the city for the finest ball in New York...

The meatball. A delectable meaty star that is often overlooked and under appreciated. This weekend we decided to go on a hunt for the best meatballs in New York City. We chose three locations to explore the plethora of meatballs the city had to offer. We began in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn at one of the oldest butchers/delis in New York, G. Esposito & Sons. They had some delicious looking meats and baked ziti in the deli case, but of course we opted for, "three meatballs please!" Each ball was about the size of a baby's fist - they really don't mess around here - and were drenched in their homemade marinara. The first bite and you're immediately overwhelmed with flavor. The meatball itself is quite dense but the quality of the beef keeps it tender and juicy. And the marinara added just enough contrast and acidity without overpowering the star of the show. The sauce was sweet but not too sweet and complimented the meatball ever so delicately. 

A Moose Bouche - Shout out to Idle

I planned a trip home to California in February in the hopes of skiing for a few days and holding on to a tradition I love. After buying my tickets, my brother announced that I was conveniently going to be back for the kick off dinner of A Moose Bouche, a culinary masterpiece event. The five course meal was held in a secret location disclosed the night before the event. The event was a five course meal, each course paired with one of my brother's wines. My brother is one of three wine makers at Idle Cellars, a small wine label he created a few years back. I am terribly spoiled, his wine is amazing. His experience has truly led me to believe in the hipster motto that "the bigger the mustache, the better the mentor". OK, that's not a real thing, I made it up, but it wouldn't surprise me. The vintner he learned from did have the best mustache I have ever seen.

http://www.deerfieldranch.com/Winery/Winery.index.html

The event was 'dress to impress' so after getting all done up in my best cocktail dress and heals, we set out for the anonymous location. We arrived at the address given and were directed through a motorcycle garage complete with mechanics waxing down some bikes. After being guided by the man of the hour through a side door we found ourselves in an old Biker bar with three very large dining tables, a bar full of Idle wine and flamenco gitarists in windows above. After greeting friends and being handed a glass of champagne, we sat down to a table where we were presented with some communal plates of grapes on the vine sauteed in olive oil and rosemary couple with a delicious local sheep's milk cheese. The meal went on from there in flawless fashion as described on the idle cellars blog:


http://idlecellars.com/blog/moose-bouche-underground-dinner

I hope I can make it to the next A Moose Bouche event, it was a huge success!

Buffalo "I Ain't No" Chicken Mac N' Cheese

Warning: This might potentially give you a heart attack, but it would be well worth it...

I came across this recipe online on a site called the Noble Pig. The name alone is what drew me in. Mmmm...pig.... But the photos were what kept my eyes glued to the screen. In my opinion it's really hard to make a bad mac n' cheese. Much like it's difficult to make a bad mashed potato (which surprisingly I've had, and is not a pretty sight). But there are some mac n' cheese recipes that completely blow your mind that you just have to have it right then and there. This, ladies and gentlemen, is one of those recipes.

Here's what you'll need for your gluttonous fatty fat fest: (easily serves a family of 12-14, or 4 hungry fatties)

7 tbsp of unsalted butter (that's right, 7tbsp + extra for greasin')

1 lb of pasta (you could go traditional here and do elbow macaroni, but I chose pasta shells)

*1 large chicken breast, seasoned and cooked (10-12oz)

1 lb of shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 lb of shredded pepperjack cheese

1 small onion, diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

2 cloves of garlic

3/4 cup of buffalo wing sauce [or bbq sauce mixed with Tapatio, which is what I used]

2/3 cup of sour cream

2 tsp dry mustard

2 1/2 cups of half and half

2 tbsp of flour

1 cup of panko crumbs

2 tsp of parsley, diced

1/4-1/2 cup of blue cheese, parmesan (or whatever topping cheese you'd like)

*The original recipe called for 1 lb of rotisserie chicken but I wanted to season my own chicken and I actually thought 1 lb of chicken was a bit excessive for this recipe. So I bought a skinless boneless chicken breast and seasoned it with seasoned salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper and a dash of herbs de provence. Bake it in the oven for 20 minutes at 400F. When it's done, take a fork, shred the chicken and set aside.

When you're feeling ready to gorge yourself, grease a 9x13 baking dish with some butter and preheat the oven at 350F. Boil the pasta in a large pot until it's a nice al dente and then drain and set aside. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat with 3 tbsp of butter. Throw in the garlic, celery and onion and cook until soft (don't completely overcook it though because you still want some crunch to the celery). After a few minutes, add in the shredded chicken and cook until the chicken heats up again. Next, throw in 1/2 cup of buffalo wing sauce and stir until the chicken mixture thickens. Set aside when finished.

Here comes the cheesy deliciousness. Take a large saucepan and melt 2 tbsp of butter over low heat. Add in the flour to make the roux and stir until it creates a paste. Add in the dry mustard and mix til it's pastey yellow. Stir in the half and half with a whisk, and slowly add in the cheddar and pepperjack and heat on medium until all the cheese is melted down. When the shredded bits start to disappear add in the sour cream and stir until smooth. Finally, throw in the remaining 1/4 cup of buffalo sauce.

And now, it's bakin' time! Take half of the pasta and spread it across the baking dish. Top with the shredded chicken mixture and then the rest of the pasta. Now, take your saucepan and pour that hot cheese lava all over that bad boy. Bowchicka bow wow! For the topping (the best part), melt the remaining 2 tbsp of butter in the microwave and toss with the panko crumbs, parsley and cheese topping and sprinkle that on top of the dish.

my heart hurts just looking at this, but it's oh so good...

When you're finally done taking photos/drooling over/ogling the mac n cheese, place it in the oven on the center rack and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the cheese starts a-bubblin'. If you take it out of the oven and the sheer sight of the slightly browned and deliciously melty cheese mixture makes you want to immediately face plant straight into the dish, then you know it's done. But please resist for 5-10 minutes before serving. A burned tongue (not to mention burned face) would ruin your entire evening, so proceed with caution. Once you assess that the cheese is no longer boiling lava hot, dig in and enjoy!

The Secret to Happiness

Not so much food related, but life related nonetheless. Thanks Latkewitz for this enlightening article! I'll take this as a sign that we're one step in the right direction: The Happiest Man in America

Pad See Ew (Can Too!)

I don't know why it's taken me so long to try to make this on my own. This is an incredibly easy recipe and the outcome is absolutely delicious. Pad See Ew is my go-to Thai dish, and we're fortunate enough to have an amazing Thai restaurant just a block away from our apartment. However, if you're looking for something fun and easy to cook, this is it! You may need to venture out to your local asian market to find some of these ingredients, but trust me...it's worth the trip. The key ingredient to this recipe is finding the right rice noodle to use. There are a few different types but the most important thing is to use fresh rice noodles.

just another day in Chinatown's Deluxe Food Market

After wandering around confused and overwhelmed at Deluxe Food Market on Elizabeth St, I found a homemade fresh broad rice noodle. I grabbed a 1lb bag which came in two big noodle pieces which I later had to spread apart and cut into smaller strips. There are also prepackaged noodles you can buy that are already cut into smaller pieces, but you will still need to spread them apart or maybe heat them up a bit before adding them into the wok. You'll also need: 6-8 stalks of gai lan (Chinese broccoli), 1lb of flank/skirt steak, 3 cloves of garlic, dark soy, light soy, brown sugar, fish sauce, white wine (or plum sake if you're a fancy asian), cayenne and black/white pepper.

Back in the kitchen, the first step is to prepare your noodles. You may need to heat them up if they're all stuck together and won't come apart easily. It's up to you to decide how big you want the noodles to be. In my opinion, the bigger the better. Heyyyy. Now set the noodles aside. It's optional to marinate the beef beforehand. But the longer it sits in the marinade, the more flavor you'll get. The marinade goes a lil' somethin' like this: a generous drizzle of light soy sauce (2-3 tbs), an equal part of white wine, 1 tbsp of brown sugar, 2 garlic cloves thinly sliced, salt and pepper. Let that sit in the fridge while you prep/cook everything else.

broad rice noodles, cut them into strips before cooking

To make the stir-fry sauce: take a small bowl and combine 1tbsp of dark soy sauce, 2tbsp of light soy sauce, 3 tbsp of fish sauce, 2 tbsp of brown sugar, 1/2 tsp of cayenne, 1 tsp of black pepper and a dash of corn starch to thicken.

When you're ready to start cooking, start by cooking the beef first. You want to cook it until it's browned and a nice medium-rare (you'll cook it more later with the rest of the ingredients). Set aside the beef. Heat the wok with 2 tbsp of oil and 1 clove of minced garlic. Throw in the Chinese broccoli and cook until the leaves are wilted and the stalks are slightly tender.

wokin' the gai lan

Spread the greens aside, creating a hole in the middle of the wok and crack 2 eggs into the center. Scramble the eggs until they're cooked but still slightly gooey. Start folding the eggs into the greens and then add back the beef. When you have a good mix going on, throw in the noodles and stir. Take the pre-made stir-fry sauce you set aside earlier and throw that on top of the noodles. Mix together well and cook until the noodles are tinted brown from the soy mixture. Plate and serve with a lemon garnish. And uh...squeeze that lemon onto your pad see ew. Trust me, you won't regret it.

I think I'm going to have to pat myself on the back for this one. Well done, Wonton.

Method 'X' Prime Rib: Yes please!

Prime rib is a rather old school tradition. And this somewhat rare oldie just happens to be one of my absolute faves. As many of you know, my family and I frequent the House of Prime Rib in San Francisco on a regular basis. (Shout out!) But when you live on the other end of the country, you need to harness those survival skills and figure out a way to make do on your own. So without further ado, I introduce you to a surprisingly simple yet outstanding recipe for a homemade rib roast that rivals even the House of PR! (gasps)

The Method 'X' recipe is designed to give you the most perfect medium rare prime rib, for a smaller size rib roast (3-5lbs, 2-3 ribs or so). This technique is essentially searing the roast in the oven at 500 degrees for a short period of time, then shutting off the oven to let it continue cooking in the remaining heat to reach that juicy perfection. Warning: These instructions are only for a medium rare temperature, so if you're one of those well done beef eaters, please avert your eyes. And might I add - really? Well done? Not all grocery stores will have rib roasts that you can buy in small quantities (if at all). But if you're lucky enough to live near a Costco, a butcher shop, or have internet access there's always a way to get your hands on one. I ordered mine from FreshDirect.com. It arrived Saturday morning: 4.6lbs, 2 ribs and as advertised, extremely fresh. The first step to this process is allowing your roast to sit out at room temperature for at least 4 hours, depending on the size of your roast. Some even leave theirs sitting out the night before to let it gradually reach room temperature. This step is essential because the meat needs to be at room temperature before you place it in the oven, otherwise your math will be off and it will not cook properly. Preheat your oven to 500 F. While the meat is resting on the counter you'll want to make your rub. The rub will create a deliciously seasoned crust to your roast while also adding a mouthwatering aroma throughout your house while the meat is cooking.

 The rub consists of: 1/2 stick of butter (softened), 1 tbsp of cayenne, 1 tbsp of salt, 1 tbsp of black pepper, 1 tbsp of herbs de provence. Mix this together well and coat the roast before sticking it in the oven.

Once the roast is room temperature and glistening with your buttery rub, place that bad boy on a roasting pan and throw it in the oven, center rack y'all. Now, here comes the math. The amount of time it cooks will depend on how big your roast is, cooking the roast 5 minutes for each pound that it weighs. (i.e. a 4.6lb roast would cook 23 minutes exactly [4.6 x 5 = 23]) DO NOT ROUND when calculating this time! Decimals are ok, do not be afraid of them. Set your timer for the exact calculated time and shut the oven door. (Side note: check back in a few minutes and you'll be able to hear the sizzle of the butter and juice on the pan :) Once the time is up, turn off the oven but DO NOT open the oven door. Let that baby sit in there while the heat winds down and finishes cooking the beef to perfection. The roast needs to sit for an additional 2 hours after you turn off the oven. If you're bored, go make some sides or watch TV, but whatever you do - no peeking!

When the buzzer goes off your roast should look a lil' somethin' like this:

 

Swoon!

garlic mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts make for some lovely accompaniments. as well as horseradish (not pictured, but eaten nonetheless)

* Note: For those with a meat thermometer, the interior temperature of the roast should be 120F for medium rare. If for some reason the roast is still undercooked after you take it out of the oven, simply place it back in at 325F and cook again until the temp reaches 120F. Don't worry, it'll still make you drool all over your plate.

** Second note: To make the au jus, take the trimmings from the roasting pan and heat it over the stove adding a few cups of water or beef broth. Bring to a boil and then simmer. Serve over the prime rib as pictured above.

Why don't we do it in the road?

On a recent trip to Asia, this little wonton lost her inhibitions and yes....cheated on her boyfriend. Her lover in crime? Cambodian streetfood.

Siem Reap, Cambodia was not at all what I had expected. After years of fantasizing about Angkor, I found that it did in fact live up to all of the hype. It truly is a magnificent and magical place. The town of Siem Reap however left an unpleasant aftertaste similar to the morning following a night of heavy drinking and body shots. Come to think of it - is that what happened? The popular "Pub Street" is the focus of the town's center cluttered with overpriced restaurants and Western-style clubs with DJs spinning til the wee hours of the night. (Keep in mind I mean "overpriced" in relative terms to other cities in Asia where you can get a plate of noodles for $3. The restaurants on Pub Street instead have the audacity to charge $10 for a plate of noodles! Shame shame) Forget all that touristy hullabaloo! The best spot to to be is on the street. About a dozen restaurants fill the center of the old market area with lawn chairs and folding tables serving up some of the freshest seafood and most delicious curries. Which restaurant did we end up choosing? The restaurant with the ladyboy waitress. We sat down and immediately got a big bottle of Angkor beer. The rest of our meal would be decided by whatever description made us salivate the most. The end result: stir fried flat noodles, fish amok curry and some of the tastiest spring rolls you'll ever have.

fried flat noodles

I'm pretty much a noodle whore. And I've had quite a number of noodle dishes seeing as how I'm Chinese and we Chis like to have a banquet dinner for practically every family event possible. And what do those banquets always end with? Noodles. My favorite is the broad wide noodle - I loves me some chow fun - and this dish was a delicious and flavorful cousin of the noodle I know and love. Complete with egg, morning glory (which is god) and a light heavenly brown sauce that adds just the right touch of melt in your mouth goodness.

amok fish curry

Amok fish curry is a traditional Khmer dish with coconut milk, ginger, tumeric and other spices. It's simply wonderful and you must have it.

And these little diddies to my left were perfectly crispy spring rolls filled with chicken, vermicelli noodles and vegetables. The best way to eat them is wrapping them in lettuce and dipping them into the fish sauce. The best part about this whole meal? It was all under $10 including our beer! Siem Reap, I think I'll be seeing you again quite soon. In fact, why did I ever leave you, my sweet?