Another Wintry Mix.... Hot Crab Soup!

After nearly a week of beautiful spring-like weather, Mother Nature decided to dump another one on us. The morning started off cold and rainy, and then steadily evolved into an ugly wintry mix by the evening rush hour. Light flurries are coming down right now, but at least the sky should be somewhat clear tomorrow… just in time for St. Patrick’s Day!

Earlier this week I made some delicious crab soup. Some hot soup would be perfect on a gross day like today…

Chesapeake Bay Tomato Crab Soup



recipes, crabs, soups, Tasting Journal, Tasting Journal Recipes

Roman's Birthday - Incredible French Cooking Class with Chef Jim Davis

The girls and I took our very first cooking class a few months ago for Roman’s birthday (November 27). I’m obviously a little late posting this… And the thing is, I’ve had it written up and ready to go for quite some time now, but I just never got around to posting it. Anyway, here it is: Roman’s Birthday Cooking Class!

* * * * *

We told Roman to be ready at 6 o’clock so that we could make to our 7:00 p.m. dinner reservations on time.

The “restaurant” was located in a quiet little community center amongst a wooded area in Olney. It was so exclusive that it contained only 9 people that night. We even had prime seats close to the kitchen, so close that we could have cooked our own meals ourselves if we wanted to—in fact, we did.

“Surprise, Roman!”

Actually the girls and I didn’t take Roman out to dinner this year. Instead, we decided to take her to a cooking class for her birthday.

Chef Jim Davis was our instructor for the evening. That night, he introduced us to an incredible French menu in which we would be preparing ourselves.

The carte du jour consisted of:

Swiss chard with Polenta Squares
Garlic, Leek and Turnip Flan
Mushroom Crusted White Fish
Ravigote Sauce
Pear and Walnut Tarte Tatin

Doesn’t that sound simply divine? It was. Although I must say, this menu is definitely not for people who are watching their calories.

Kim: “4,165 calories in the Ravigote sauce?? Is that even allowed?”

Chef Davis: “Yes, this menu is by no means low-fat…”

Roman: “At least it has 1 gram of carb.”

So if you’re on Atkins, the Ravigote sauce is fine. Actually, after taking a second look at the nutritional content of the rest of the items, it appears that the entire menu is relatively low-carb. So that’s a plus for all the carb-watchers.

We were divided into groups of threes. Each group worked together to prepare the menu. Roman, Katherine and I were together, and Kim was grouped with a couple of others in the class.

The three of us took turns doing the different steps. Since it was Roman’s birthday, however, we gave her most of the fun stuff, like stirring the ingredients together and cracking the eggs. After a couple of hours, our dishes were starting to come together nicely.

The class was fun. The dishes were simple, but elegant, and easy enough to prepare at home. Our food came out a bit too salty, so we’ll probably add less salt if we try to make it again.

I thought Chef Davis was a knowledgeable and gregarious teacher. He provided basic instructions and helpful tips (such as how to hold a knife when you’re cutting). Toward the end of the class, while we were waiting for some of dishes to come out of the oven, the Chef gave a brief discussion on food and wine pairing, and talked a little about his life.

We ended our cooking class with the delectable Tarte Tatin, delicious Beaujolais and a birthday serenade to Roman. The whole class even sang! It was great night: we left with full bellies and a little extra culinary knowledge. Our first cooking class was a success!

Happy Birthday Roman!! Only 352 more days until your next birthday!! :-)

cooking classes, French food, Tasting Journal Recipes, Tasting Journal

Happy 2007!!

I am finally back from an extended holiday blog break. I had a lovely Christmas with my family, and I got to spend plenty of quality time with Nick. We celebrated the New Year together at Tabaq Bistro on U Street. Nick and I sat on their rooftop terrace and enjoyed a beautiful 6-course meal, complete with a champagne toast and loud party favors! As the ball dropped, confetti flew everywhere! It was a lot of fun! Sadly the holidays are over now, and Nick is back in California. :’(

On Saturday afternoon after Nick’s departure, I decided last-minute to go to Atlantic City with my mother, a couple of aunts and uncles, and a few cousins. On the way up to Atlantic City, we made a stop in Philly’s Chinatown and had dinner at this incredibly cheap Chinese restaurant—our bill (for the 10 of us) was $64! And believe me, we ordered a quite a number of dishes. Maybe the owners got confuse when pricing their menu items? I say this because they certainly got a little confused when writing out the headings for their entrées. Example: “Hot Rice Entries” (see photo).

Because this was a busy holiday year for many of us, the girls and I decided to have our holiday dinner after the holidays. So on Sunday afternoon, after coming home from Atlantic City, I set off to the grocery store to buy ingredients for my BLT Pasta Bake. Dinner was at Katherine and Greg’s place at 7 o’clock. On the menu along with my pasta, there was: Katherine’s butternut squash soup (my favorite!!), Caesar salad, asparagus risotto (Kim’s specialty! Haha), mashed sweet potatoes, roasted chicken, and warm cherry pie with vanilla ice cream for dessert! So yummy! Everything was almost perfect. The only thing missing was Roman, who wasn’t able to make it. :-( Here Roman, I posted a picture of the food for you…

Since Roman couldn’t attend our holiday dinner last Sunday, we decided to all get together for lunch this Sunday at Mie N Yu in Georgetown for Washington DC's Restaurant Week. Restaurant Week is going on right now, and the last day is actually this Sunday. So if you’re free, you should definitely make reservations and try someplace new! It’ll be a great way to start off the New Year!

New Year, Washington, DC, Chinatown, Atlantic City, NJ, restaurant week, Tasting Journal

In Food News Today…

The WashingtonPost.com released its 2006 Cooking Class Listings for the DC metro region today. And guess what I found at the top of the list?!! Cambodian cooking classes! There’s one with Demaz Tep Baker in Arlington, VA. This looks kind of interesting… I think I might have to give it a try…

On CNN.com I came across an article about the latest culinary innovations that were introduced at the Fancy Food Show held in New York this past summer. A few of the ideas seemed a little silly to me… others were a little more marketable, I suppose... Check them out for yourself here...

food, food news, cooking classes, Washington, DC, Tasting Journal

Crazy for Coconut

Tonight I was in the mood for something with coconut so I decided to make myself some crispy coconut shrimp for dinner… and coconut oatmeal cookies for dessert. Both came out delicious and satisfying.

This was actually my first time making the coconut oatmeal cookies and I really love how well they came out. It wasn’t too sweet and the coconut was nice and subtle. I’m thinking next time I might throw in some milk chocolate chips for extra flavor.

Crispy coconut shrimp has always been a favorite of mine. I normally like to bake it, but I know some people who like to fry it. I think both ways come out tasty… but baking it is a little less messy, and of course a bit healthier as well (if you care about that sort of thing).

recipes, shrimp, cookies, coconut, baking, Tasting Journal Recipes, Tasting Journal

Corn and Potato Salad

This recipe for corn and potato salad is light, delicious, and different from your traditional potato salad. There’s no mayonnaise. Instead there’s just a little olive oil and fresh lime juice. The corn gives the dish some added sweetness and nice texture. Our cousins from France just arrived a few days ago for the summer. For their first dinner in the States, we served this side dish with steak frites. Mmm…

Corn and Potato Salad

recipes, potato salad, corn, Tasting Journal Recipes, Tasting Journal

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Another of my latest cooking creations...
Spinach and Artichoke Dip


spinach dips, spinach, artichokes, cooking, recipes, Tasting Journal, Tasting Journal Recipes

Oven Baked Ribs

One of my latest cooking creations from last week...
Oven Baked Ribs


barbeque, ribs, grilling, cooking, recipes, Tasting Journal Recipes, Tasting Journal

Potato Salad

I love any dish made with potatoes! Potatoes au gratin, mashed potatoes, potato skins, baked potato soup, stuffed potatoes, potato ragout, potato salad, French fries… you get the picture. The recipe below is one for potato salad. I like using Dijon mustard and sweet relish in mine. I also added a little mayonnaise in this version, but the recipe tastes just fine without it.

Potato Salad Recipe


recipes, potatoes, potato salad, food, Tasting Journal, Tasting Journal Recipes

Mommy's Marinated Chicken Breasts

Grilling season is upon! The succulent scent of smoky meat and grilled vegetables will soon be filling the air. Mmm… Here’s one of my mother’s recipes for marinated chicken breasts. Since my mother doesn’t normally measure ingredients out, the measurements that I have listed are just a rough estimate. I tested the recipe out myself, and it came out just fine. However, feel free to experiment with the measurements yourself. This tastes great served with some grilled onions and zucchini.

Mommy's Marinated Chicken Breasts


recipes, grilling, chicken, marinades, barbeque, Tasting Journal Recipes, Tasting Journal

Crab Cakes for Mother’s Day

I don’t cook for my mother very often. The reason is because she is an amazing chef, and the rest of the family would rather eat her cooking than mine. This year for mother’s day however, I firmly put my foot down, and declared that my sister and I would be making dinner (actually it was really me who made dinner). We chose a recipe for pan-fried crab cakes with chili-lime dressing, mango-cucumber relish, and mixed greens from Emeril's Delmonico Cookbook. It turned out fabulous. The crab cakes were tender and meaty; the mango-cucumber relish offered pleasant mouthfuls of sweet and savory tastes; and the chili-lime dressing supplied a delicious kick that tied up the entire dish nicely.

Pan-Fried Crab Cakes

Mango-Cucumber Relish

Chili-Lime Dressing

recipes, food, Emeril, crab cakes, Tasting Journal Recipes, Tasting Journal

MAY is National Hamburger Month!!
http://www.ahamburgertoday.com/

In honor of National Hamburger Month, my sister and I made some delicious onion and jalapeno burgers! Here’s the recipe…

Tasty Onion and Jalapeno Burgers

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1-2 jalapenos, sliced lengthwise and chopped
1 handful of white mushrooms, coarsely chopped
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
A couple dashes of soy sauce
1 ½ tablespoon garlic salt
1 ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 egg, beaten

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix together all ingredients together thoroughly.

2. Form in medium sized burger patties.

3. Grill burgers for about 8-12 minutes or until cooked to preference.

4. Add cheese on top of each burger for one minute before cooking is completed.

5. Remove burgers from grill.

6. Place on toasted buns, and add toppings.

Makes about 6 medium-sized burgers

food, recipes, hamburgers, Tasting Journal Recipes, Tasting Journal

Num Treap (Cambodian Dessert)

HAPPY CAMBODIAN NEW YEAR!!

In honor of the Cambodian New Year, here is the recipe for Valina's favorite Cambodian dessert!

Num Treap is a sesame sticky rice dessert that is prepared similar to that of American brownies; after preparing a warm mixture, you pour the mixture into a baking dish or pan, and then let it cool for a few hours… after cooling, cut into squares and serve.

INGEDIENTS:
1 cup sweet rice
1 cup water
2/3 cup coconut milk
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place Jasmine rice and water in a saucepan bring to the boil then reduce heat; cover and cook very gently for about 15 minutes or until the rice is just cooked.
2. While the rice is cooking, place the coconut milk, sugar, salt and vanilla extract in a large saucepan and cook over a medium-high heat until it thickens, stirring frequently.
3. Fluff the rice with a fork to separate.
4. Add rice to the coconut sauce in the other pan, and mix well.
5. Spread the mixture into a shallow dish and sprinkle sesame seeds on top, pressing them down with a wooden spoon.
6. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to set for few hours.
7. Cut into squares after it cools for a few hours, and then serve.

Adapted from www.recipes4us.co/uk

Cambodian, food, desserts, cooking, Tasting Journal, Tasting Journal Recipes

Marinated Broiled Salmon

They say that eating salmon is very good for you... it's a great source of protein and rich in omega-3 fatty acids. It may even increase the production of collagen, keratin, and melanin. It's no wonder my mom loves this fish! This is one of the recipes that she uses... it's really simple, and can be prepared quickly. The marinade really gives the salmon a nice flavor that isn't too overpowering. I enjoy this served simply with some steamed white rice. Mmmm...


INGREDIENTS:
2 lb salmon filet
2 cloves of garlic, minced
½ teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
¼ teaspoon salt
Dash of black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a small bowl, mix together fish sauce, with sugar, salt, and garlic.
2. Clean salmon and pat dry with paper towel.
3. Place salmon in fish sauce mixture and let sit for 10-15 minutes.
4. Cover broiler ban with aluminum foil, and place marinated fish on top.
5. Pour the excess fish sauce mixture on top of the salmon, and sprinkle with black pepper.
6. Broil in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
7. Serve with steamed white rice.


recipes, cooking, salmon, food, Tasting Journal Recipes, Tasting Journal

Vietnamese Egg Rolls (Cha Gio)

This is my mother’s version of Vietnamese egg rolls (Cha Gio).

We often eat them with a dish called Bun cha gio, which consists of rice noodles, lettuce, mint, bean spouts, cucumbers, and finely chopped peanuts. It’s really delicious! When I’m not eating the egg rolls with this dish, I like to dip them in a sweet and sour chili sauce. This dipping sauce can usually found in the condiment aisle in most Asian markets.

INGREDIENTS:
½ medium cabbage
2 medium carrots
1 lb ground pork
½ cup dried shrimp
½ cup chopped shiitake mushrooms
1 large onion (chopped)
1 cup oyster sauce
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 package of rice paper wrappers (or square egg roll wrappers)
1 egg (for rice paper)
Oil for frying

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a bowl, mix cabbage, carrots, dried shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, and onion.

2. Add in ground pork, oyster sauce, salt, pepper, and sugar.

3. Mix thoroughly.

4. Peel spring roll wrappers.

5. To make egg roll, take 2 tablespoons of the mixture and place it just below of the center of the wrapper. Fold bottom corner up over filling to cover, and then fold in the two outside corners. Roll closed, and then seal shut with a dab of egg white.

6. Pour oil into a wok or saucepan until about 2 inches deep.

7. Over medium-high heat, warm oil and then add egg rolls in one at a time.

8. Deep dry for about 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown on both sides.

9. Remove from oil, and place on dry paper towels to help absorb some of the oil.

10. Serve with sweet and sour dipping sauce.

cooking, food, recipes, Vietnamese food, Tasting Journal Recipes

Paté and Cha Lua Sandwich

This simple sandwich is a blend of two cultural elements: paté from the French, and Cha Lua (can also be spelled Gio Lua) from the Vietnamese. This quick and easy snack is something my father used to make my sister and me when we were younger. It’s almost effortless, and the smoothness of the paté along with the lean delicious taste of the cha lua, makes this sandwich exotically divine!

Paté (or paté de foie gras) is essentially goose or duck liver.

Cha Lua is a Vietnamese lean meat pie. During preparation the meat is wrapped in banana leaves and then boiled. The flavor and aroma from the banana leaves is fundamental to the meat’s taste.

INGREDIENTS:
Paté
Cha Lua
2 pieces of toast or French bread (sliced lengthwise in half)
Fresh ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Spread some paté generously on a piece of toast, or on one slice of French bread.
2. Cut the Cha Lua into thin slices and place on top of the freshly spread paté.
3. Sprinkle a little fresh ground pepper, and then place the other piece of toast (or slice of French bread) on top.

* For additional texture and flavor, try adding some pickled carrots along with the paté and chu lua.

* Sometimes my father will spread some mayonnaise on the second slice of toast (or French bread) to enhance the creaminess of the sandwich.

** For more information on paté and cha lua, you can check out these websites:

http://www.gourmetfoodstore.com/foiegras/glossary-foie-gras.asp

http://www.ksvn.com/cooking/page12.html

cooking, food, recipes, foie gras, vietnamese food, Tasting Journal Recipes

My Thanksgiving, Part 2

We ate the night away at Stephanie’s house this year! Our big feast included the usual: mashed potatoes, corn, green bean casserole, stuffing, turkey… We also had juicy roast beef, cranberry relish, potatoes au gratin, yellow Asian rice with chicken, ground beef spring rolls, sofrito succotash, and cassava-bread stuffing with longaniza, four different types of pies, and Thiep, a Cambodian dessert made with sweet rice, coconut and seseme seeds.

OTHER NOTES:

Our turkey was purchased from Safeway, and was sadly falling apart when we took it out of the oven. It seemed a little pale, and didn’t have that nice golden brown color that it usually does every other year. However, it was very moist, and everyone enjoyed it, even Valina who normally hates turkey.

My mom made two different types of stuffing this year: her usual apple and sausage stuffing, and something different called “Cassava-bread stuffing with longaniza”. Cassava bread is a flat unleavened bread made from yuca, and longaniza is a Spanish pork sausage seasoned with paprika, cinnamon, aniseed, garlic, and vinegar. It was a nice combination, and all the spices gave the dish a little kick.

I love corn. We had corn. We also had something called “Sofrito Succotash”, a Latin-inspired corn and bean side dish. Now this was something different… a good different, definitely not lacking in the flavor department. It actually went well with the cassava bread and longaniza stuffing; however I don't think it went all that well with everything else...

Asian yellow rice with chicken… I’m not sure if that is the real name for this dish because it seems rather plain to me. The star ingredient in this is fish sauce. Trust me, it’s good. Without it, the dish would taste just as plain as its name. Turmeric, a spice that is part of the ginger family, gives the rice its yellow color.

Aunt Tevy made ground beef spring rolls… okay, so I’m not sure if that’s really what they’re called, but that’s essentially what they are… These were a huge hit at dinner. They only lasted about 10 minutes… I’ll have some more info posted about these rolls soon!!

See recipes here...

Thanksgiving, food, recipes, Tasting Journal Recipes, Tasting Journal

Eggplant Parmesan with Prosciutto

My mother and I both love eggplant. I've had eggplant parmesan many times at restaurants, but have never actually tried to make it myself. This recipe is from my mother's Italian friend Maria. She loves meat, so her recipe includes some prosciutto. The results were okay. . . The eggplant was a little too firm, and I felt that it didn't have enough flavor, so we asked Maria for some advice, and here are a couple of the suggestions she gave us for cooking eggplant. . .


First of all, it's helpful to salt the eggplant so that it is relieved from all it's moisture which tends to hold on to oil. In order to do this, you peel the eggplant, slice it, and then sprinkle the slices generously with salt. Then you let the slices sit in a colander for a few hours. After that, you rinse the salt off thoroughly and squeeze out any excess moisture.

Another popular method is to soak the eggplant instead of salting it. To do this, slice the eggplant and place the slices in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of salt for 1 quart of water. If the eggplant slices float to the surface, place a small plate on top to hold it down. After about 30 mintues, remove the eggplant slices from the water, rinse and then pat dry. Brown each slice in hot oil until crisp and delicate. This should only take a couple minutes.

Second, if frying the eggplant, be sure that the oil is very hot, and cook only one layer of slices at a time. Crowding the pan will make it more difficult for the eggplant to cook properly. Also be sure to turn the slices often so that they wont burn.


Okay, now that you've been informed on my new knowledge of eggplant cooking 101, here's the recipe. . . give it a try and let me know how it goes. Also, if anyone has any other advice or tips, please feel free to share so that the rest of us can eat well too! : )


Maria's Eggplant Parmesan with Prosciutto

INGREDIENTS:
1 medium eggplant
¼ cup of vegetable oil
¼ cup of chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced parsley
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 cup tomato sauce
1 egg
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
¼ cup milk
Flour
Vegetable oil for frying
8 ounces fresh sliced mozzarella cheese
4 ounces fresh sliced prosciutto
½ cup of grated parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat ¼ cup of vegetable oil in a large skillet.
2. Add onions and garlic into the skillet and sauté over low heat. Stir occasionally until onion become tender.
3. Stir in parsley, salt, fresh ground pepper, and tomato sauce. Let simmer for about 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, peel and slice the eggplant. Make each slice about ¼ inch thick.
5. In a bowl, beat the egg slightly. Add in milk and 1 tablespoon oil.
6. Dust each slice of eggplant with flour, patting well to remove any excess flour.
7. Dip the floured eggplant slice into the egg and milk mixture, and then drain.
8. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
9. Fry eggplant on both sides, adding more oil as needed. Fry until slices are golden brown.
10. In a 2-quart baking dish, layer the fried eggplant, tomato sauce, prosciutto, and mozzarella, topping each layer off with parmesan cheese.
11. Bake for about 30 minutes at about 350°.

Serves 6


recipes, food, cooking, eggplant, Italian food, Tasting Journal Recipes, Tasting Journal

Cooking Night with the Girls. . .

Beer Duck with White Rice and Green Beans

Last Sunday, the girls and I had a cooking night topped off with some Desperate Housewives! This recipe for Beer Duck that Katherine got from her mom was really delicious!! Instead of duck, however, we decided to use chicken, and instead of a whole chicken, we actually substituted chicken breasts. The results were mouth-watering!

Beer Duck
Recipe adopted from ECCFC

INGREDIENTS:
1 duck
1/3 cup of light soy sauce
1/3 cup of dark soy sauce
1 oz. beer
2/3 cup of sugar
2-3 small pieces of ginger
2/3 cup of water

DIRECTIONS:
1. Set oven to 350 degrees
2. Line a baking dish or tray with foil
3. Mix light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, beer, sugar and water in a bowl
4. Marinate duck in mixture for ½ hour – 1 hour
5. Bake duck in oven for ½ hour
6. Flip duck over after ½ hour, and bake on the other side for another ½ hour

We had this with some steamed white rice and a side of Katherine’s green beans! Yummy. . .


recipes, cooking, food, duck recipes, Tasting Journal Recipes, Tasting Journal

Simple Recipes for Janine!

My cousin Janine claims to have no cooking skills whatsoever, so therefore she was a little hesitant when I suggested that she cook her boyfriend a romantic dinner for his birthday. Being the wonderful person that I am, I offered to break down some of my favorite simple recipes for her to make. She goes, "Recipes sound good, I’ve never tried following one before." Oh my... what a funny girl! Well I’ve broken these recipes down, and have added some notes to them. They should be a piece of cake for her to follow. Hopefully...


First Course – SALAD: CAPRESE (Tomato Mozzarella Salad)

Second Course – APPETIZER: STUFFED MUSHROOMS

Third Course – ENTRÉE: PASTA PRIMAVERA

Fourth Course – SIDE DISH: BROCCOLI WITH LEMON CRUMBS (Not really a course, more like a side dish)

FIFTH COURSE – DESSERT: CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES

Check out the simple recipes here: Simple Recipes for Janine!


food, recipes, Tasting Journal Recipes, Tasting Journal