Why I should be the official food blogger for the L.A. County Fair….

I’ve loved food all my life.  It started with all the Vietnamese delights that came out of my Grandma’s and my Mom’s kitchen.  I know I’m super spoiled because I will no longer eat fried rice, chow mein, or egg rolls if they do not come out of those two kitchens.  There seems to be a lot less love and soul when those dishes are cooked by other kitchens.  But back to the subject…I really love food, and I love to share my experiences with food.

My friends know me as the “foodie,” but this foodie will be the first to say that my tastes are eclectic.  I’ve enjoyed many haute cuisine meals…Bouchon (I love it, but don’t get the lemon tart…the strong citrus will ruin your palate for hours), The Bazaar by Jose Andres (how can food and drink possibly get cooler…I could feel the freezing vapor as they made my caipirinha with liquid nitrogen in front of me!), and Daniel Boulud Brasserie (never in my wildest thoughts could I ever think that a pan-roasted chicken could ever be on my list of top five all-time favorite things to eat!).  But let’s be honest now, normal and natural cravings are not for Michelin-starred food (except maybe in my wildest dreams).  Normal and natural cravings are for things that are fried super crisp, burgers and ribs cooked on the grill or a smoker, mashed potatoes made with heavy cream and LOTS of butter, apple pie made by someone else’s grandma (because apple pie is not made by my Grandma)…those are the things everyone has cravings for.  I’ll be the first to admit that I love Hot Dog on a Stick…darned fried pepperjack cheese on a stick is one of the most glorious things I’ve ever eaten…crispy, honey-sweetened coating and inside oozing melted cheese that’s got a bit of a kick to balance that lovely cooked batter.  I think that’s my guilty pleasure…and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos eaten with cream cheese because who doesn’t want a crispy, crunchy airy piece of spicy goodness contrasted by a salty creamy dreamy bit of cheese?  My food tastes are a bit crazy, but I think you need to be a bit crazy…it makes you willing to try strange flavor combinations and textures.

In addition to my love of food, I love to share good food.  I share my love of food on many different levels.  I’m that crazy picture taker inside a restaurant…you know, one of those crazy people who whip out the camera inside a wonderful establishment to photograph not a moment with my Grandma and her great-grandchild (who also happens to be one of my kids), but to capture the perfectly cooked lamb chop that’s just been delivered to me.  I’m also the crazy person who runs home after dinner to edit and post pictures of my awesome meal to Picasa, Facebook, and Blogspot as soon as I can…and if I remember, I’ll take pictures with my BlackBerry as dinner progresses and load those bad boys on to Twitter as I’m having dinner.  I want to show people what I ate…not because I want to brag, but because I want to share my experience.  I want my family and friends to imagine what it tasted like.  I want to share how glorious the dishes were.  And I want to encourage them to become a patron of that establishment to keep it in business because good food should never go away.  But my love of food doesn’t merely stop at a restaurant, taco/burger stand, or ramen shop...it continues into my kitchen, where I love to try new recipes or create new dishes to share with my friends and family…and no worries, the Facebook and Twitter world know about my creations…I let them know as soon as I finish.  Let’s say that I’ve made many a friend and family member hungry because I’ve shared what I’ve made or eaten throughout the day.

In short, I suppose this is why I want to be the official food blogger for the L.A. County Fair.  I LOVE LOVE food, and I want to share my love of food.  I’m not afraid to try new things, and I’ll never speak despairingly of a dish until I’ve tried it.  I’ve not ever found a cuisine that I don’t like…American, French, Italian, Persian, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Ethiopian, Spanish, Thai, Brazilian, Polish, Swedish, German, Mexican, Indian, Nicaraguan, Jamaican….you name it, I’ve probably tried it and loved it.  When I eat something fabulous, I do want the world to know about it because I want to encourage them to try it, too.  If I were lucky enough to be chosen to be the official food blogger for the L.A. County Fair, then that’s what exactly I plan on doing.  I endeavor to try to eat everything that’s offered, and share my experiences through thoughtful commentary and fabulous pictures.  Just because the Fair is known for greasy fried food and down-home barbeque, it doesn’t mean that it’s not worth eating because it’s ordinary…those dishes are far from ordinary because it requires someone’s thoughtful thinking to come up with a fried Snickers bar or a super flavorful barbeque sauce that pairs well with a Mesquite or Hickory smoked pulled pork.  The food at the Fair is made by people who are creative and love food just as much as I do, and I do want to share my experiences with those foods with everyone.  I want to encourage people to go out and try those foods, too.  It would be amazing if I were to encourage them to try something new…and to find that they loved it as much as I do.  So please, if I could…please make me the official food blogger for the L.A. County Fair.  It would be an awesome opportunity to share my love of food with the world.

P.S. And by the way, Grandma and kids, don’t worry I’ll take pictures of those special moments between you…after I take pictures of those awesome lamb chops!

Thanksgiving: Part One

As crazy as I am, I did two Thanksgivings this year.  One with the in-laws, and one at home (because there were no leftovers from the in-laws).  The husband loves holiday leftovers, so I had to create a meal just so he could have holiday leftovers.
So for the in-laws really simple Thanksgiving holiday food.  One of these days, when I get around to getting a smaller digital camera, I'll take pictures of all this lovely food.  Getting out the Nikon professional series digital camera that the hubby bought is too much trouble and not as handy.  So due to well planning, I didn't have a whole lot of last-minute cooking. So here's the menu (recipes included) for the in-laws:
Roasted turkey with homemade cornbread stuffing
Southern Cornbread Stuffing (adapted from Paula Deen)
Cornbread, recipe follows
1 whole loaf of day old wheat French bread, cubed
8 tablespoons butter
4 ribs of celery, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
8 cups chicken stock
2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sage
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning, optional
7 eggs, beaten
In a large bowl, combine crumbled cornbread, and cubed wheat French bread; set aside.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the celery, carrots, and onion and cook until transparent, approximately 5 to 10 minutes.  Season vegetables with salt and peper to taste. Pour the vegetable mixture over cornbread mixture. Add the stock, mix well, taste, and add salt, pepper to taste, sage, thyme, and poultry seasoning. Add beaten eggs and mix well. This can be prepared the night before.  Cover and store in the refrigerator.  It will help the cornbread absorb the liquid, and allow the flavors to develop.


Cornbread:
2 cup self-rising cornmeal
1 cup self-rising flour
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
4 eggs
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour batter into a greased shallow baking dish. Bake for approximately 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.


Roasted turkey:
1 onion, peeled and halved
3 carrots, peeled tops and tips removed
3 large ribs of celery
5 sprigs of sage
4 sprigs of thyme
2 large lemons, halved
Salt
Paste made of olive oil, salt, and pepper
4 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of white wine
I use Butterball turkeys because my Mom does, and have never used any other bird.  Ensure that the bird is completely thawed out.  I thaw my 20+ lbs. turkey in the sink overnight for one night, one week prior to Thanksgiving.  The bird then goes into the refrigerator until Thanksgiving morning.  This ensures that the turkey is completely thawed. 
Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees.
Prepare the roasting pan by throwing in the onion, carrots, celery, sage, thyme, and lemons.  Place the roasting rack on top.
Remove turkey from packaging and take out the neck and gizzard packages from the cavity.  Rinse the turkey with cold water and rub with salt to clean.  Pat the bird dry with a paper towel.  Pin the wing tip bones underneath the turkey.  Stuff the neck cavity with the stuffing.  Use a skewer or toothpicks to secure the skin flap underneath the bird.  Stuff the main cavity of the bird.  Using the extra skin by the turkey's rear end, tuck the drumsticks back into position. Continue stuffing the main cavity to your liking.  I overflow it.  Place turkey on top of the roasting rack in the roasting pan.  Rub the turkey with the paste made of olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Pour the chicken broth and the white wine into the bottom of the roasting pan.  Insert digital thermometer prod into the thigh of the turkey.  Place roasting pan in the oven.
Set the digital thermometer to 165 or 170 degrees.  For 2008, the FDA set the standard of turkey done-ness at an internal temperature of 165 degrees.  In 2009, the FDA raised it by 5 degrees to 170.  Pick one and use it.  The digital themometer will tell you when the turkey is done.
Baste the turkey 2-3 times during the roasting process.  Once your turkey has browned to your liking, cover the tukey and the roasting pan with foil.  Let the digital thermometer tell you when the turkey is done.  5 1/2 to 6 hours for a stuffed 20+ lbs bird.
Pour the remaining stuffing in a greased baking dish and bake covered with foil at 350 degrees for an hour.  Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes if you want a crisp top.


Sauteed carrots with fresh parsley (adapted from Ina Garten)
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
3 lbs carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagnol about 1/2"
Salt, to taste
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
In a heated pan, melt butter and add olive oil.  Place carrots in pan and stir.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Cover pan with lid for about 5-8 mins depending on how done you want your carrots.  Turn off heat, stir in parsley.

Corn casserole (adapted from Paula Deen)
1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (8-ounce) package corn muffin mix (recommended: Jiffy)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, stir together the 2 cans of corn, corn muffin mix, sour cream, and melted butter. Pour into a greased 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown.


Lemon icebox pie
30 Nilla wafers, 10 crushed and 20 whole
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cans sweetened condensed milk (recommended: Borden)
3 eggs, separated
3 lemons, juiced and zested
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
1/8 cup of powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine crushed wafers and melted butter in a pie pan.  Mix well, and press to create the bottom crust of the pie.  If there is excess, push the crumbs up to the sides of the pan.  Place whole wafers, curved side facing outward, and gently press into the crumb crust.  Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes.  Cool on wire rack.
In a bowl mix condensed milk, egg yolks, and the juice and zest of the lemons.  Mix well until mixture is a pale yellow.  Pour into cooled pie crust.  Place back in the oven for 30 mins.  Cool on wire rack.
Once pie is completely cooled, to make the meringue top, combine 3 egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt into a bowl.  Mix until soft peaks form in the meringue.  Add powdered sugar, and mix into meringue.  Add meringue topping to pie, and place into a 350 degree oven until the meringue top browns to your liking.


Caramel apple pie (adapted from Tyler Florence)
1 package of refrigerated pie crust (recommended:  Pilsbury)
1 container of caramel topping (recommended:  Richardson's Butterscotch caramel)
1 lemon, halved
8 apples (recommended: Granny Smith and Gala)
1 tablespoon flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Fill a large bowl with cold water and squeeze in the lemon juice. Peel the apples with a paring knife, cut them in half, and remove the core with a melon baller. Put the apple halves in the lemon-water (this will keep them from going brown). Toss the apples with the flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. 
Place one layer of the prepared pie crust in a pie pan.  Carefully mold so that it fits the pan.  Slice a couple of the apples at a time using a mandolin or a very sharp knife. The apples need to be thinly sliced so that as the pie bakes, they collapse on top of each other with no air pockets. This makes a dense, meaty apple pie. Cover the bottom of the pastry with a layer of apples, shingling the slices so there are no gaps. Ladle about 2 ounces of the caramel sauce evenly over the apple slices. Repeat the layers, until the pie is slightly overfilled and domed on the top; the apples will shrink down as the pie cooks. Top the apples with pieces of the butter.  Brush the bottom lip of the pie pastry with a little beaten egg white to form a seal. Place the pastry circle on top of the pie, and using some kitchen scissors, trim off the overhanging excess from around the pie. Crimp the edges of dough together with your fingers to make a tight seal. Cut slits in the top of the pie so steam can escape while baking. Place the pie on a sheet tray and tent it with a piece of aluminum foil, so the crust does not cook faster than the apples.
Bake the caramel apple pie for 25 minutes on the middle rack. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar with the freshly grated cinnamon. Remove the foil from the pie and brush the top with the remaining egg white. Sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon sugar and return to the oven. Continue to bake for another 25 minutes, until the pie is golden and bubbling. Let the apple pie rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour to allow the fruit pectin to gel and set; otherwise the pie will fall apart when you cut into it.


Pumpkin bread (adapted from Bon Appetit)
3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 26-ounce can solid pack pumpkin
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9x5x3-inch loaf pans. Beat sugar and oil in large bowl to blend. Mix in eggs and pumpkin. Sift flour, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt and baking powder into another large bowl. Stir into pumpkin mixture in 2 additions. Mix in walnuts, if desired.
Divide batter equally between prepared pans. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Transfer to racks and cool 10 minutes. Using sharp knife, cut around edge of loaves. Turn loaves out onto racks and cool completely.


The corn casserole was a big hit...even with people who don't like corn.  The desserts worked out well.  And I had the most beautiful looking turkey at the party.  I was super tired from prep work all week long.

Opening Weekend: Bouchon (Beverly Hills)

It's safe to say that this was the most highly anticipated restaurant opening of the year. When the reservation lines opened up on November 2 at 11:00AM, I called at 11:06AM and only had a choice between 5:15PM and 8:15PM for Saturday night. Thomas Keller's empire had landed in town!
We arrived on time for our 8:15PM reservation, and were seated within minutes. The restaurant itself is quite nice. The view of the Montage courtyard, at night, was lovely with all the lights and the water fountain. I rather liked the light fixtures in the main dining room, and the dark wood decor. Perhaps one of the most delightful things about walking through the restaurant was the seafood bar...lovely little lobsters and oysters on display ready to be consumed by happy customers.
Our drink orders were taken within minutes of us being seated. We chose a couple of cocktails from the bar. They were good, but really nothing as spectacular as the drinks from Bar Centro at The Bazaar. I did enjoy the ganish in my Bouchon Cocktail...the fragrance from the fresh orange and lemon peel kept my martini fresh and enticing as I love citrus. Bread service was delivered shortly after.
My husband being the bread fiend and afficionado, dug right in. He loved the baguette-style rolls. They were wonderfully crusty on the outside, and soft and moist on the inside. It was quite easy to tell that it had come out of the oven just a short time ago. I quite enjoyed the crostini-style toasts. I know it's so simple, but the sea salt that was sprinkled over the toasts made them all that much better. The white bean puree was nice, but nothing to write home about.
For appetizers, I had the pate and he went for the demi-homard (half lobster). I really loved the pate. It was smooth, rich, creamy, earthy, and delightfully porky. I wasn't crazy about the cornichons, sliced radishes, and watercress. I've had the rendition at Daniel Boulud in Vegas, and that plate was beautifully garnished with homemade pickled vegetables (i.e. ramps, carrots, beets, etc.). But that pate with it's pancetta-like trim around the perimeter was very nice. The lobster was served on ice and presented very well. They managed to stand it up, and served it with remoulade and cocktail sauce. It was perfectly cooked...melt-in-your mouth lobster. None of the toughness that can sometimes be found in an overcooked lobster was in this dish. The hubby did not find the remoulade and cocktail sauce interesting enough, decided to use Bouchon's homemade dijon and lemon to accompany the demi-homard.
For Entrees, I selected the moules au safran and the hubby went for the braised short rib. I loved the presentation of the mussels. They come in a large cast iron pot, and the lid is lifted as soon as it arrives at your table. That aroma of garlic, white wine, butter, and saffron was amazing...I could have sat there all night with my nose to that pot! The mussels were prefectly cooked...not chewy at all, and slightly creamy. I dunked each one back in the broth before I popped it in my mouth. What surprised me about the mussels dish was that even the mussels sitting at the bottom of the pot in the broth did not overcook as I happily consumed the ones on top first. That's well thought out execution there. And then there were the fries...and those fries were the best fries that I have EVER had. Super super crisp on the outside, and mash potato-like pillowy on the inside. Perfectly salted...these are now my standard for french fries...those things they sell at McDonald's will no longer fulfill my craving. Even my husband was suprised to find how good they were...and as a note, I was not excited to share my fries with him...that meant less for me! His short rib was perfectly cooked to fork tenderness. He found that his piece had a little too much fat it in it, but the red wine sauce really helped cut through the fat. I liked the body of the red wine sauce...well seasoned, well reduced...but it was a tad too salty for me. I did not get a chance to try the vegetables that came with the short ribs, but my husband's empty plate assured me that they were quite good.
Because we were also there to celebrate our anniversary, they sent out the Ill Flottante "floating island" to our table. The panna cotta-style meringue was sitting in a sea of creme anglaise and homemade caramel sauce. The meringue was topped with whole and crushed candied almonds and almond tuille cookies. I like meringue, but this meringue reminded me of marshmallow fluff. The crunch from the almonds and the cookie helped this dessert from being too mushy and creamy. Quite honestly, the best thing on the plate was everything but the meringue. The homemade caramel and creme anglaise were quite lovely. We tried the lemon tart (because we're both fans of citrus), too. It was just way too tart and way too lemony. Now I like lemon, but I had two bites, and the roof of my mouth and my tongue were tingling from over-exposure to citrus. It was almost like I had taken a sip to coffee that was too hot and it scalded my taste buds. My hubby loves key lime pie, and even this was way too much for even him. We, nonetheless, sent it back. Determined to end the night on a good note, we opted to try the Valhrona chocolate bouchons. They were lovely dark chocolate brownies with a molten chocolate center. I loved the crispy outer texture of the bouchons, and that fresh Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream was a delightful foil to the rich chocolate.
Service overall was very good that night. Our server, Jill, was a wonderful lady with a lovely British or Australian accent. She took very good care of us, and was very attentive. Our water glasses were never empty the entire time we were seated. My only complaint was that she never asked if I wanted wine with dinner, and by the time the courses were served, I was more interested in eating than the wine, but I'm sure the wine would have accompanied dinner quite nicely.
An overall review...not deserving of one Michelin star (the Yountville location has one star), but quite good. I know it's opening weekend, so I'm sure they'll make the necessary adjustments. I love desserts, and was not so "wowed" with the execution of two of the desserts. But I would go back. I would love the try the fresh oysters and the foie gras terrine. They also had escargot as a special on Saturday night...and I LOVE escargot...would love to try that as well. Bouchon is open just for dinner now, next week, they'll start serving lunch, and on December 13th, Bar Bouchon will open up downstairs with drinks and small bites.
 
Bouchon
235 N Canon Dr
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 271-9910
http://www.bouchonbistro.com/

Thanksgiving is upon us

It's that time of the year, again.  And this year, it's about two Thanksgivings for me.  One with the in-laws, and one at home.  Simple food made for the in-law because they have really simple palates.  So on the menu for them:

Roasted turkey with homemade cornbread stuffing

Glazed Carrots

Corn Casserole

Lemon icebox pie

At home (on Saturday evening), I'm looking to be more adventurous.  Here are my ideas...not set in stone:

Herb-roasted turkey with a wild rice, ciabatta, wild mushroom stuffing

Roasted asparagus

Glazed carrots 

Sweet kernel corn

Roasted garlic mashed potatoes

Parkerhouse rolls

Caramel apple pie

First post

This is new for me. Never thought about blogging before. But certainly going to give it a try. Here's my personal forum for sharing my foodie experiments and random musings about food and food culture. Thanks for checking me out...more to come as I have time to develop my site.