Saturday, April 29, 2017
Thursday, April 20, 2017
Dinner at Chef Ping
This is what I call a feast!
We had a lovely dinner at one of our most favorite restaurant in the area: Chef Ping. It is a Chinese restaurant, but this is far from your typical Chinese restaurant in the US.
First of all, on any given night, Asian customers outnumber others. And you know my rule about ethnic restaurants: if the majority of the clientele isn't of that ethnic origin (assuming that the demographics can support number of clientele), then there's a very good chance that the food isn't that good or authentic. For Chef Ping, the majority of the clientele is Asian.
The menu includes the standard American Chinese items, but it goes way beyond that. It also has menu items that you don't normally find in such a restaurant. Browse the menu. You'll see sea cucumber, tripe, beef belly, etc.
Our favorite items are the fish with wood ear, beef stew hotpot, and the Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce. But we have never had a bad items here yet, and their noodle soups are especially good since they are fresh noodles made in-house.
The only drawback is that this place is often very, very busy. Heaven saves you if you show up at 6:00 pm on a typical Friday or Saturday.
Zz.
We had a lovely dinner at one of our most favorite restaurant in the area: Chef Ping. It is a Chinese restaurant, but this is far from your typical Chinese restaurant in the US.
First of all, on any given night, Asian customers outnumber others. And you know my rule about ethnic restaurants: if the majority of the clientele isn't of that ethnic origin (assuming that the demographics can support number of clientele), then there's a very good chance that the food isn't that good or authentic. For Chef Ping, the majority of the clientele is Asian.
The menu includes the standard American Chinese items, but it goes way beyond that. It also has menu items that you don't normally find in such a restaurant. Browse the menu. You'll see sea cucumber, tripe, beef belly, etc.
Our favorite items are the fish with wood ear, beef stew hotpot, and the Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce. But we have never had a bad items here yet, and their noodle soups are especially good since they are fresh noodles made in-house.
The only drawback is that this place is often very, very busy. Heaven saves you if you show up at 6:00 pm on a typical Friday or Saturday.
Zz.
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Baking Soda Versus Baking Powder
This is a rather good article on the science behind baking soda and baking powder, especially in how each of these ingredients reacts with other ingredients and with heat.
Both baking soda and baking powder contain sodium bicarbonate. In fact, sodium bicarbonate is another name for baking soda, since that is the only ingredient in baking soda. On the other hand, baking powder contains other ingredients that provides the acid to react with sodium bicarbonate. The differences in content and how they react are the reasons why they are used for different recipes and purposes. In fact, in some recipes, both might be used together.
Of course, I use these two quite often at different times in making scones, biscuits, banana bread, etc. The whole family of quick breads depends on baking soda and baking powder.
Zz.
Both baking soda and baking powder contain sodium bicarbonate. In fact, sodium bicarbonate is another name for baking soda, since that is the only ingredient in baking soda. On the other hand, baking powder contains other ingredients that provides the acid to react with sodium bicarbonate. The differences in content and how they react are the reasons why they are used for different recipes and purposes. In fact, in some recipes, both might be used together.
Of course, I use these two quite often at different times in making scones, biscuits, banana bread, etc. The whole family of quick breads depends on baking soda and baking powder.
Zz.
Monday, April 17, 2017
Sinigang
"Sinigang" is a popular Filipino dish but it also shares similarities with dishes found in southern Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. It is a tamarind-based soup broth and one can almost put anything into it. Common ingredients in it can be green beans, daikon radish, okra, bitter melon, etc... The protein can be chicken, beef, fish, shrimp, etc.
The one that I often make is with those veggies and either with chicken or beef. I admit that I often take shortcuts. Instead of making the broth from scratch, I often make this on a weeknight using a pre-made package for the broth.
Of course, I just don't pour it in. I doctor it a bit. What I normally do is I have 4 or 5 thick pieces of ginger, and smash 3 cloves of garlic. I fry the smashed garlic (you don't even have to chop 'em) in a couple of tablespoon of oil in a large pot until you get the garlic aroma. Then I add the appropriate amount of water. Add the ginger and the sinigang package, stir, and let it come to a boil.
Once it is boiling, cover and let it simmer for 10 minutes so that the flavor develops, especially with the ginger.
Then add your protein (chicken or beef). Let it come to a boil and then simmer slowly until done.
Adjust seasoning. It should have a slightly sour taste from the tamarind. Optionally, you can add 3 tablespoons of fish sauce.
Then add the veggies. I always have bitter melon, daikon radish, and green beans. Cook until veggies are done. I often serve this alongside rice and kimchee.
If you like it hot, you can add whole Serrano peppers at the same time that you add the veggies. Then whoever wants it with a kick can serve it him/herself and break the pepper in the broth. It will add quite a kick to the soup.
Zz.
The one that I often make is with those veggies and either with chicken or beef. I admit that I often take shortcuts. Instead of making the broth from scratch, I often make this on a weeknight using a pre-made package for the broth.
Of course, I just don't pour it in. I doctor it a bit. What I normally do is I have 4 or 5 thick pieces of ginger, and smash 3 cloves of garlic. I fry the smashed garlic (you don't even have to chop 'em) in a couple of tablespoon of oil in a large pot until you get the garlic aroma. Then I add the appropriate amount of water. Add the ginger and the sinigang package, stir, and let it come to a boil.
Once it is boiling, cover and let it simmer for 10 minutes so that the flavor develops, especially with the ginger.
Then add your protein (chicken or beef). Let it come to a boil and then simmer slowly until done.
Adjust seasoning. It should have a slightly sour taste from the tamarind. Optionally, you can add 3 tablespoons of fish sauce.
Then add the veggies. I always have bitter melon, daikon radish, and green beans. Cook until veggies are done. I often serve this alongside rice and kimchee.
If you like it hot, you can add whole Serrano peppers at the same time that you add the veggies. Then whoever wants it with a kick can serve it him/herself and break the pepper in the broth. It will add quite a kick to the soup.
Zz.
Friday, April 14, 2017
The Food Timeline
Hey, I just found this neat webpage that lists in chronological order on when various food enters our human history. The website is called The Food Timeline.
I of course cannot vouch for the accuracy and validity of the various pieces of information, but even if they're off by a couple of hundred of years, what they heck. The links to the various food items themselves are quite informative.
I wish they'd create a poster for this.
Zz.
I of course cannot vouch for the accuracy and validity of the various pieces of information, but even if they're off by a couple of hundred of years, what they heck. The links to the various food items themselves are quite informative.
I wish they'd create a poster for this.
Zz.
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Supermarket Ice-Cream With No Preservatives And No Artificial Flavors? Are You Crazy?
I'm one of those folks you might see at a supermarket who is standing there and reading the ingredients list on the back of a box or package. I care about what I put in my mouth, and try as far as I can (not with equal success) to not consume any trans-fat, preservatives, artificial anything, etc. Unfortunately, this is not that easy especially when I shop at a regular supermarket here in our area. Oh sure, one can go to one of those organic specialty stores, but who wants to pay that much all the time?
One of the most difficult item to shop for is, believe it or not, ice cream. Pick a typical box of ice cream at a supermarket, and you're buying a chemistry kit. Something as simple as a vanilla ice cream can have an ingredients list consisting of a dozen or more ingredients, often with chemical names that you've never heard of. And more often than not, you'll encounter preservatives and artificial flavors added to the poor ice cream.
It is why when I stumbled upon this particular brand of ice cream, I almost jumped with joy. I had written about the new Mariano's supermarket that opened recently in our neighborhood. On one of our browsing of the supermarket, we discovered this brand of ice cream called "Turkey Hill". Now, there are, unfortunately, two types of Turkey Hill ice cream. One has a lid with red-colored rim, while the other has a lid with a black rim, with the words "Naturally Simple" written all over the rim.
The red-rimmed box appears to be your typical supermarket ice cream, having the same laundry list of chemicals. It is also cheaper, and seems to be on sale pretty often. The ice cream with the black-rimmed box is the one you want, for sure!
We have bought the plain vanilla, the blueberry, and the mango. They were all winners and tasted terrific. That was the first and most important test, because it doesn't matter if the food is clean and healthy if no one wants to eat it. But what impressed me as much was the ingredient list.
This is the vanilla ice cream.
Now look at the ingredient list.
Crazy, right?
Here's the blueberry ice cream.
And the blueberry ice cream ingredient list.
I challenge you to look at these lists, and compare it with some randomly-selected ice cream sold in a typical supermarket. You'll understand why I was astounded that I can get something like this, and this good, in a supermarket.
The last time I saw an ice cream ingredients list that is this simple was on a Blue Bunny Premium ice cream, but either they had change their recipe, or I can't find it anymore. But as of now, other than going to our favorite local ice cream parlor, this Turkey Hill All Natural ice cream is our exclusive brand here at home.
Zz.
One of the most difficult item to shop for is, believe it or not, ice cream. Pick a typical box of ice cream at a supermarket, and you're buying a chemistry kit. Something as simple as a vanilla ice cream can have an ingredients list consisting of a dozen or more ingredients, often with chemical names that you've never heard of. And more often than not, you'll encounter preservatives and artificial flavors added to the poor ice cream.
It is why when I stumbled upon this particular brand of ice cream, I almost jumped with joy. I had written about the new Mariano's supermarket that opened recently in our neighborhood. On one of our browsing of the supermarket, we discovered this brand of ice cream called "Turkey Hill". Now, there are, unfortunately, two types of Turkey Hill ice cream. One has a lid with red-colored rim, while the other has a lid with a black rim, with the words "Naturally Simple" written all over the rim.
The red-rimmed box appears to be your typical supermarket ice cream, having the same laundry list of chemicals. It is also cheaper, and seems to be on sale pretty often. The ice cream with the black-rimmed box is the one you want, for sure!
We have bought the plain vanilla, the blueberry, and the mango. They were all winners and tasted terrific. That was the first and most important test, because it doesn't matter if the food is clean and healthy if no one wants to eat it. But what impressed me as much was the ingredient list.
This is the vanilla ice cream.
Now look at the ingredient list.
Here's the blueberry ice cream.
And the blueberry ice cream ingredient list.
I challenge you to look at these lists, and compare it with some randomly-selected ice cream sold in a typical supermarket. You'll understand why I was astounded that I can get something like this, and this good, in a supermarket.
The last time I saw an ice cream ingredients list that is this simple was on a Blue Bunny Premium ice cream, but either they had change their recipe, or I can't find it anymore. But as of now, other than going to our favorite local ice cream parlor, this Turkey Hill All Natural ice cream is our exclusive brand here at home.
Zz.
Sunday, April 9, 2017
Chef & The Farmer
I mentioned a while back that "A Chef's Life" on PBS is one of my most favorite food shows on TV. I've bought every season of the show on iTunes and have it on my iPad at all times, so I watch it regularly.
We were lucky enough to had the chance to actually dine at Chef & The Farmer back in early Dec. of 2015. We made the trip to Kinston, N. Carolina just to dine at the restaurant.
We arrived early before our reservation. So decided to walk across the street and visit their other restaurant, The Boiler Room.
We didn't stay long because we just wanted to take a look. But soon our reservation time arrived and we were seated. I must say that the restaurant was smaller than I was expecting. But the vibe was very good and it was pretty buzzy. I think by then, it has certainly hit its fame because the 2nd season of Chef and the Farmer would have aired by then.
The menu consisted of only one page. The items were divided into 3 sections: Share Plates, Small Plates, and Large Plates. We ordered 2 items from shared plates: warm lima bean spread and the beef carpaccio.
OK, first of all, even if you don't like lima bean, ORDER THE LIMA BEAN SPREAD if it is on the menu. Trust me on this. This was surprisingly very, very good. It is a humus-like spread served with toast points. If we weren't at such a fine restaurant, I would have licked the bowl.
The carpaccio was fine, there was nothing wrong with it, but it was severely overshadowed by the lima bean spread.
So then comes the entree (or what they called large plates). There were 4 of us, and we decided that we each got something different, so that we can have a taste on the other dishes. I ordered the Dayboat Flounder. Very good and satisfying.
We also had another fish entree that was ordered, which was the Wood-Roasted catfish, served with sprouted Hoppin' John, pomegranate, and fannel aioli. This was also good and the Hoppin' John was certainly different than the usual.
There was green curry rabbit. Love the rabbit meat, and nothing wrong with the flavor. But of course, the heat of the green curry was toned down considerably.
However, the winner entree of the evening was, in my opinion, the Cavatelli Pasta served with beef sausage. It was outstanding! The beef sausage alone could have been the main star by itself. This was easily the most tasty dish on our table.
And then, of course, we ordered desserts. I'll start with the best one, and unfortunately, I can't remember what it was exactly since this was their "Ice Cream of the Day". I think it was some sort of a sorbet, but it was easily the best dessert on the table. I wish I had ordered it.
This is the chocolate peppermint cake. I didn't have a taste of it, but the plate was cleaned at the end of our meal.
This is the Chocolate Bread Pudding. You can't go wrong with this.
Finally, we come to the dessert that I ordered, and unfortunately, this was where they had a slight hiccup. I ordered the buttermilk grapefruit Panna Cotta. While the flavor was excellent, the texture fell short. The Panna Cotta didn't actually set completely, because it was still a bit runny. I still ate it all, but this was where it was a minor letdown after such a fine meal.
Interestingly enough, in Season 3, Episode 8 titled "Honey, I'm Home!" of A Chef's Life, her sous chef at that time, John May, also had issue with the Panna Cotta they were serving not setting properly at Ben Knight's art show. So it appears that they are not getting good luck with this dessert.
We had a terrific time there. Food and service were top-notch. The sad thing was that we didn't get to meet with Chef Vivian Howard. I did ask, and our server was gracious enough to take down my name and address, while letting us keep the menu that we were served with that evening.
2 weeks later, in the mail came a signed menu from Chef Howard and a very nice note.
I mean, really, not many people make time to do this. So I was pleasantly surprised. You can see the items on the menu that we had for that evening. I was already a big fan of her and the show, and this just reinforced why.
Dial forward about a year later, Chef Vivian Howard has released her first cookbook titled "Deep Run Roots". And not only that, she was coming for a book signing at a bookstore out in one of the Chicagoland suburbs. We signed up for it and got a copy of the book and a meet and greet with her.
She was as genuine and pleasant in person as she was on her show. And oh, I wore a "Chef & The Farmer" t-shirt that I bought at the restaurant to the book-signing. It was a great evening. It was almost like a "A Chef's Life" fan convention while we were standing in line waiting for our turn to meet her.
The good news is that we will be dining at "Chef & The Farmer" once more in a couple of weeks. We are scheduled for a trip to that part of the country, and have already made our reservation. This will be good because their menu changes often and is quite seasonal. We were there at late fall the first time, and now we will be there in mid Spring this time. I will be curious to see different items on the menu (I'm seriously hoping for turnip run-ups!), and also how the new Chef de Cuisine that has been running the kitchen since the end of Season 4 of the show is working out.
And if we have time, while we are in that part of the country, we might try Piedmont restaurant in Durham, NC. This is where "Chef & the Farmer" former sous chef John May is now the executive chef. It sounds like this restaurant is a tailor-made fit for him.
Yup, this upcoming trip will be all about the food!
Zz.
We were lucky enough to had the chance to actually dine at Chef & The Farmer back in early Dec. of 2015. We made the trip to Kinston, N. Carolina just to dine at the restaurant.
We arrived early before our reservation. So decided to walk across the street and visit their other restaurant, The Boiler Room.
We didn't stay long because we just wanted to take a look. But soon our reservation time arrived and we were seated. I must say that the restaurant was smaller than I was expecting. But the vibe was very good and it was pretty buzzy. I think by then, it has certainly hit its fame because the 2nd season of Chef and the Farmer would have aired by then.
The menu consisted of only one page. The items were divided into 3 sections: Share Plates, Small Plates, and Large Plates. We ordered 2 items from shared plates: warm lima bean spread and the beef carpaccio.
OK, first of all, even if you don't like lima bean, ORDER THE LIMA BEAN SPREAD if it is on the menu. Trust me on this. This was surprisingly very, very good. It is a humus-like spread served with toast points. If we weren't at such a fine restaurant, I would have licked the bowl.
The carpaccio was fine, there was nothing wrong with it, but it was severely overshadowed by the lima bean spread.
So then comes the entree (or what they called large plates). There were 4 of us, and we decided that we each got something different, so that we can have a taste on the other dishes. I ordered the Dayboat Flounder. Very good and satisfying.
We also had another fish entree that was ordered, which was the Wood-Roasted catfish, served with sprouted Hoppin' John, pomegranate, and fannel aioli. This was also good and the Hoppin' John was certainly different than the usual.
There was green curry rabbit. Love the rabbit meat, and nothing wrong with the flavor. But of course, the heat of the green curry was toned down considerably.
However, the winner entree of the evening was, in my opinion, the Cavatelli Pasta served with beef sausage. It was outstanding! The beef sausage alone could have been the main star by itself. This was easily the most tasty dish on our table.
And then, of course, we ordered desserts. I'll start with the best one, and unfortunately, I can't remember what it was exactly since this was their "Ice Cream of the Day". I think it was some sort of a sorbet, but it was easily the best dessert on the table. I wish I had ordered it.
This is the chocolate peppermint cake. I didn't have a taste of it, but the plate was cleaned at the end of our meal.
This is the Chocolate Bread Pudding. You can't go wrong with this.
Finally, we come to the dessert that I ordered, and unfortunately, this was where they had a slight hiccup. I ordered the buttermilk grapefruit Panna Cotta. While the flavor was excellent, the texture fell short. The Panna Cotta didn't actually set completely, because it was still a bit runny. I still ate it all, but this was where it was a minor letdown after such a fine meal.
We had a terrific time there. Food and service were top-notch. The sad thing was that we didn't get to meet with Chef Vivian Howard. I did ask, and our server was gracious enough to take down my name and address, while letting us keep the menu that we were served with that evening.
2 weeks later, in the mail came a signed menu from Chef Howard and a very nice note.
Dial forward about a year later, Chef Vivian Howard has released her first cookbook titled "Deep Run Roots". And not only that, she was coming for a book signing at a bookstore out in one of the Chicagoland suburbs. We signed up for it and got a copy of the book and a meet and greet with her.
She was as genuine and pleasant in person as she was on her show. And oh, I wore a "Chef & The Farmer" t-shirt that I bought at the restaurant to the book-signing. It was a great evening. It was almost like a "A Chef's Life" fan convention while we were standing in line waiting for our turn to meet her.
The good news is that we will be dining at "Chef & The Farmer" once more in a couple of weeks. We are scheduled for a trip to that part of the country, and have already made our reservation. This will be good because their menu changes often and is quite seasonal. We were there at late fall the first time, and now we will be there in mid Spring this time. I will be curious to see different items on the menu (I'm seriously hoping for turnip run-ups!), and also how the new Chef de Cuisine that has been running the kitchen since the end of Season 4 of the show is working out.
And if we have time, while we are in that part of the country, we might try Piedmont restaurant in Durham, NC. This is where "Chef & the Farmer" former sous chef John May is now the executive chef. It sounds like this restaurant is a tailor-made fit for him.
Yup, this upcoming trip will be all about the food!
Zz.
Monday, April 3, 2017
Leaf Kitchen In Iowa City
Over the weekend, we visited family in Iowa City and had breakfast at what I claim as THE best breakfast place in all of Iowa City. It is a small, hidden gem of a place that is producing some of the best breakfast food, and I only wish that we have something like this in this part of the Chicago suburb.
The place is called Leaf Kitchen. It has a very rustic, homey, retro feel to it. When you walk in, the decor, color, and mismatched chairs, tables, etc. reminds you of being in your grandmother's kitchen. Heck, it feels almost comfortable enough to walk in in your pajamas and fuzzy slippers!
But then, there's a food. The menu changes, but there's always a few things that remains the same. Top of the list is what I think is their own invention, the Moroccan eggs. Good lord, order this already! It is eggs, smothered with a slightly spicy tomato sauce that has onions and Moroccan spices, served with hummus and pita bread. This is easily THE best breakfast egg dish I've had anywhere.
The plate was wiped cleaned at the end.
The second item is a more pedestrian, but extremely well-cooked stack of blueberry pancakes. There are blueberries inside the pancakes, which were very light and fluffy, served with whipped cream and real maple syrup. It shows that they can do the regular item, and do it exceedingly well.
They also have very rich but smooth coffee. They serve it in a cup with one free refill. And unlike other places, they place quite a significant importance to teas, and will serve it in a small Asian teapot. And no, not a Lipton in sight. The hot teas are done with loose-leaf teas.
They have afternoon tea service, which is by reservations only. We have not had the opportunity to do this yet, but intend to soon.
This place is a real winner. Clearly, it shows someone who has not only the imagination, but also the passion, to run this place and serve the kind of food that is just outstanding. I always feel happy and comfortable in this place.
Can't wait to go back.
Zz.
The place is called Leaf Kitchen. It has a very rustic, homey, retro feel to it. When you walk in, the decor, color, and mismatched chairs, tables, etc. reminds you of being in your grandmother's kitchen. Heck, it feels almost comfortable enough to walk in in your pajamas and fuzzy slippers!
But then, there's a food. The menu changes, but there's always a few things that remains the same. Top of the list is what I think is their own invention, the Moroccan eggs. Good lord, order this already! It is eggs, smothered with a slightly spicy tomato sauce that has onions and Moroccan spices, served with hummus and pita bread. This is easily THE best breakfast egg dish I've had anywhere.
The plate was wiped cleaned at the end.
The second item is a more pedestrian, but extremely well-cooked stack of blueberry pancakes. There are blueberries inside the pancakes, which were very light and fluffy, served with whipped cream and real maple syrup. It shows that they can do the regular item, and do it exceedingly well.
They also have very rich but smooth coffee. They serve it in a cup with one free refill. And unlike other places, they place quite a significant importance to teas, and will serve it in a small Asian teapot. And no, not a Lipton in sight. The hot teas are done with loose-leaf teas.
They have afternoon tea service, which is by reservations only. We have not had the opportunity to do this yet, but intend to soon.
This place is a real winner. Clearly, it shows someone who has not only the imagination, but also the passion, to run this place and serve the kind of food that is just outstanding. I always feel happy and comfortable in this place.
Can't wait to go back.
Zz.
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