8.16.10

Homegrown tomatoes with fresh basil and burrata for an afternoon snack.


For dinner I made fish tacos with mahi mahi and a cilantro-lime slaw.
Recipe: I used two mahi mahi filets to serve 3 people. Season the mahi mahi with salt and pepper, chop four cloves garlic and about 1/2 cup of cilantro and rub those onto the fish. I then put the fish into a dish and let it marinate while preparing the rst of the dish. For the slaw: slice a half head of cabbage toss it into a bowl and add in the juice of 1 or 2 limes, 3/4 cup cilantro, a pinch of sugar, salt and pepper, and sriracha to taste. Mix it all together and set aside. Open a can of black beans and warm them on the stove top. I chopped some avocado and cherry tomatoes to use as toppings. To finish the dish heat a pan with a little bit of olive oil, once warm place the mahi mahi in the pan and sear it for about 4 minutes on the first side and then flip it and leave it on the other side for two more minutes. Remove from the heat and break the fish into chunks. Warm some corn tortillas and pile on whatever toppings you please (I served mine with slaw, beans, tomatoes, avocado and a healthy dollop of sour cream. Next time I might swap in some radishes and queso fresco.).

Vacation - posts from the city of angels

No better place to start than an LA institution.

3 a.m. fries, blintzes and a vanilla shake at Canters. Delish.

8.12.10

Ad Hoc, Part II - Too tasty not to post.
First course - Broccolini Salad with a poached hen's egg (why would they specify "hen". . . as opposed to a rooster's?), radishes, red onion, croutons (actually fried bread fresh-baked from Bouchon), lardons (aka bacon), and (tondo) balsamic vinegar (other worldly).
Main course - a pork porterhouse from Snake River Farms. I got curious about the term porterhouse, having never heard it in reference to pork, and discovered that for a steak to be classified as porterhouse the tenderloin must be at least 1.25 inches thick, I think ours was close to 3.
It was served with sauteed romaine, which I thought would be terrible but was actually pleasant and wonderfully sweet, red quinoa, cauliflower, shaved shiitakes, stewed nantes carrots with a very delicate curry sauce and finally a small drizzle of parsley puree. The cheese course consisted of a sheep's milk cheese, Cana de Oveja, with flavor flav plums, candied pecans, and honey. For dessert they served a peach and nectarine pie with housemade vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.

8.11.10

Katana-Ya
In continuing to search for warm, comforting foods during this balmy SF summer, I found Katana-Ya, an eclectic Japanese restaurant with delicious ramen that doesn't resemble the dehydrated version that comes out of a vending machine in the slightest. We tried the cilantro ramen in a light miso broth (really good, flavorful, mildly al dente noodles) and the butter corn ramen (the name is no joke, you can see what remains of a generous pat of butter floating atop the ramen).

8.10.10

A Quick Ode to Breakfast - Practicing my poached egg. I don't really want to be a purist about anything. That having been said, I consider myself a bit of a poached egg purist, because I am trying to learn how to poach to perfection. I feel like using one of the many "perfect poached egg" products on the market is cheating. Anyone can buy a silicone bowl and drop it, along with a raw egg into near-boiling water and have the egg cook in a perfect shape, but what if that same person found themselves in the mountains, tool-less needing to poach the perfect egg - s.o.l. It doesn't really matter what they look like it is just an enjoyable quest, not to mention, I like poached eggs and am happy to eat all the ugly imperfect ones along the way (I am even fine if that is all I ever make). Here is a photo of my latest attempt (c/o Mark Bittman's advice in this Minimalist article). I served my egg with cranberry currant bread and crenshaw melon.

8.9.10

Georges - sounds good, tastes mediocre. Ate: Clams with Puttanesca Sauce (we ordered mussels in a white wine broth but this is what we got - it was pretty spicy but with a nice tomato-y flavor), Fish and Chips (the fish was moist but the battered outer shell was very oily, and not crunchy at all, as if they had fried it the day before and then microwaved it briefly right before bringing it out),
"True" cod tacos (the same fish as in the fish and chips, but this time it was at least served with a tangy red cabbage slaw), and the grilled halibut sandwich with arugula, roasted red pepper, and wasabi mayonnaise (good). Sorry Georges, it wasn't terrible it just wasn't worth going back for.

8.6.10

I have been stalking a new restaurant that I pass on my way to work ever since the illuminated Au(which stands for gold on the periodic table) sign appeared. Through my sleuthing (yesterday as I passed by there was a pile of boxes outside and I peeked at the side of one of them which read "sentinel") I have discovered the new takeout nook is Dennis Leary's (owner of Cantine and The Sentinel) latest venture, Golden West. It will serve as a bakery supplying his two pre-existing restaurants as well as offering new lunch items. Looking forward to it. For EaterSF's article about the soon-to-open Golden West click here.

It turns out that Dennis Leary also has another new venture in the works, he just bought the old saloon next to the Sentinel, for more click here.

8.5.10

Burma Superstar
Tasted:Samusa Soup - Samusas are Burmese dumplings stuffed with potatoes, vegetables and curry seasoning. The soup, which contained falafel, was nicely thick and velvety.




Tea Leaf Salad - an acquired taste. My mothers' favorite dish, it is made with, yes, tea leaves from Burma, which have been fermented.

Ginger Salad - a simple but refreshing salad that was a welcome complement to the rich spices (and ample coconut milk) in the other dishes. It is made with crispy romaine,sunflower seeds, peanuts, sesame seeds, split yellow peas (lentils??),dried shrimp (in flake form), fried garlic, jalapenos, and a heap of freshly pickled ginger.


Nan Gyi Dok - a mild chicken curry served with thick rice noodles, hard-boiled egg, fried onion and split yellow peas. Good but not my favorite, a little light on spices heavy on coconut milk.

One of the highlights of the meal was a mango coconut drink with a thick slice of lime wedged into the bottom of the glass, releasing nice amounts of tang with each sip from my straw.
For the only Burma Superstar recipe I could track down, their Rainbow Salad, click here.

8.3.10

Tartine Bakery. I ate: a currant scone (very good), ham and tomato quiche (very fluffy - best quiche I've tasted), gougere, cake aux olives (a bit like quiche but drier and not as scrumptious), bread pudding (no crispy crusty bits, which to me is a key characteristic), and shortbread (what's not to like).



For Tartine's morning bun recipe (omitted from their cookbook) care of 7x7 click here.

8.1.10

I made sweet corn tamales (recipe tweaked but passed down from friends) with black beans and mango, corn and avocado salsa. I mix up the toppings, sometimes I just put avocado and cilantro, try different salsas, whatever you please. Tamales:

• Roast three cans of white corn(or yellow, your preference), about 4 1/2 cups, in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned. Meanwhile boil a big pot of water and once it's boiling turn it off and throw in about 30 dry corn husks, cover and leave to soak.
• Mix dry ingredients: heaping 2 cups of masa, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt.
• Simmer all but one cup of the corn in 1 1/2 cups milk (I use 1% milk, it's up to you) for about 10 minutes and let cool a bit.
• Whip 1 cup + 1 (or 2) tablespoons butter in a large bowl.
  
• Throw the corn and milk into the blender and pulse to combine. Stir in the one cup of corn you reserved (you can blend it all but I like getting whole corn kernels in my tamales).
• Alternate stirring in the dry mix and the milk blend into the whipped butter.
• Take your tamale husks out of the water and shake them dry. You need to tear a couple of husks into long strings to use as ties. Put about 3 tablespoons of the masa mix into the center of a flat corn husk; wrap the bottom up, then the left side and then the right and tie the top with a string of husk. Place each finished tamale in a steamer. Once done put it on the stove and cook for 35-45 minutes.