Remember the Tofu Egg Curry I made for Iron Chef? Jen helped me recreate it for Asia Fabulous!
Friday, May 23, 2008
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Monday, April 07, 2008
Iron Chef Tofu Battle: NYC Chinatown Edition
Jen's boyfriend, Daniel, has been on a 6 month in NYC. While I'm not totally clear on the origins of our dinner party, it seems safe to say that one of his Princeton buddies, Olympia, decided to challenge Daniel to an Iron Chef-like dinner battle. From an email thread, I gleaned that he is apparently naturally suited to such a competition because of his "Bobby Flay-esque egotism." I received a voicemail from Daniel and a text from Jen: Would I go to NYC to be his "secret weapon/sous chef?"
I agreed at the last minute. I knew I'd be in town to have Filipino brunch with Jen and Thuy and Nicki pre-dinner battle. And, if I took the Chinatown bus, I'd only spend $30 round-trip. A day of good food, old friends, and new people? I couldn't pass it up.
The secret ingredient was announced at 4 pm in Chinatown. Tofu.
Jen thuy and I were in SoHo when we got the news. "What a piss-poor ingredient," I thought out loud. I was a little mad. Tofu? I rarely use the stuff. And we were against two Cantonese girls. They'd out-Chinese me for sure. I had to think out of the box.
Jen and I arrived at 5 pm just before Daniel. The girls, who went by both Queens of Canton and Team Canton, had pre purchased 6 or so different types of tofu. We claimed our tofu types and all shopped separately before returning to the kitchen. Both teams shared the stove and rotated to accommodate each other... by 8 or 9 pm we presented our dishes and started to eat.
True to Chinese form, Team Canton had a hot and sour soup with the soy-marinated tofu, wood ear, and pork. It was super yummy - you could taste the melted pork fat. They followed up with fish paste-stuffed tofu and eggplant. They even scored the eggplant so it'd "absorb more flavor." I thought it had good texture. Then they had a noodle bowl with tofu, kailan, red pepper and (a store-bought) roast duck. It was a pretty dish the judges liked in appearance. [The dinner "Chariman" originally asked that duck be our secret ingredient, so one of the Queens of Canton purchased this to appease him] Their closer was "tofu" almond gelatin topped with mangoes. I must say, I was a little skeptical of it's true "tofuness," butI'm sure it tasted just fine.
Daniel and I donned our yellow aprons and named ourselves "Team Awesome." We started our international tofu menu with a silken tofu/soy ice cream/peach-berry smoothie. It was California-inspired for sure. Daniel is not Canto, but he is obsessed with Sichuan food, so he used his Blackberry to craft a super-spicy ma po tofu. It got high flavor marks from the judges. Next I took the judges to Southeast Asia by making a yellow coconut curry with potatoes, okra, deep-fried tofu puffs and deep-fried hard-boiled eggs. I was so proud of this dish because the texture of the exterior of the eggs matched the puffs so well. Plus, the nooks and crannies of the tofu skin, egg "skin" held the sauce nicely. Then we closed with a trip to Italy. We combined silken tofu and ricotta to make a lasagna with a pork ragù and and homemade balsamella (bechamel) sauces. It was sooo surprisingly good we could have left out the ricotta entirely.
the judges deliberated on....
Flavor (ma po tofu and lasagna hit the spot)
Presentation
Creativity (smoothie and lasagna)
Use of ingredient
We won the flavor and creativity categories so it came down to points. .... and we won! Bringing tofu out of Asia was our biggest asset.
I agreed at the last minute. I knew I'd be in town to have Filipino brunch with Jen and Thuy and Nicki pre-dinner battle. And, if I took the Chinatown bus, I'd only spend $30 round-trip. A day of good food, old friends, and new people? I couldn't pass it up.
The secret ingredient was announced at 4 pm in Chinatown. Tofu.
Jen thuy and I were in SoHo when we got the news. "What a piss-poor ingredient," I thought out loud. I was a little mad. Tofu? I rarely use the stuff. And we were against two Cantonese girls. They'd out-Chinese me for sure. I had to think out of the box.
Jen and I arrived at 5 pm just before Daniel. The girls, who went by both Queens of Canton and Team Canton, had pre purchased 6 or so different types of tofu. We claimed our tofu types and all shopped separately before returning to the kitchen. Both teams shared the stove and rotated to accommodate each other... by 8 or 9 pm we presented our dishes and started to eat.
True to Chinese form, Team Canton had a hot and sour soup with the soy-marinated tofu, wood ear, and pork. It was super yummy - you could taste the melted pork fat. They followed up with fish paste-stuffed tofu and eggplant. They even scored the eggplant so it'd "absorb more flavor." I thought it had good texture. Then they had a noodle bowl with tofu, kailan, red pepper and (a store-bought) roast duck. It was a pretty dish the judges liked in appearance. [The dinner "Chariman" originally asked that duck be our secret ingredient, so one of the Queens of Canton purchased this to appease him] Their closer was "tofu" almond gelatin topped with mangoes. I must say, I was a little skeptical of it's true "tofuness," butI'm sure it tasted just fine.
Daniel and I donned our yellow aprons and named ourselves "Team Awesome." We started our international tofu menu with a silken tofu/soy ice cream/peach-berry smoothie. It was California-inspired for sure. Daniel is not Canto, but he is obsessed with Sichuan food, so he used his Blackberry to craft a super-spicy ma po tofu. It got high flavor marks from the judges. Next I took the judges to Southeast Asia by making a yellow coconut curry with potatoes, okra, deep-fried tofu puffs and deep-fried hard-boiled eggs. I was so proud of this dish because the texture of the exterior of the eggs matched the puffs so well. Plus, the nooks and crannies of the tofu skin, egg "skin" held the sauce nicely. Then we closed with a trip to Italy. We combined silken tofu and ricotta to make a lasagna with a pork ragù and and homemade balsamella (bechamel) sauces. It was sooo surprisingly good we could have left out the ricotta entirely.
the judges deliberated on....
Flavor (ma po tofu and lasagna hit the spot)
Presentation
Creativity (smoothie and lasagna)
Use of ingredient
We won the flavor and creativity categories so it came down to points. .... and we won! Bringing tofu out of Asia was our biggest asset.
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Quick! Go find a farm with a CSA program!
Folks a the office are starting to talk about their grand gardening plans for the Spring/Summer growing season. Some have backyards or deck gardens. Others are urban gardeners with plots in neighborhood community gardens. And for a hot minute, I, too, considered the adventure of urban gardening.
Ha! That would be a horrible idea for me.
Instead, I got my Google on and looked into local farm share programs. Community Supported Agriculture programs are pretty popular and nowadays farms will often deliver into the city and many no longer require that members put in work time. Some CSAs ask that you commit to a full or half share at the beginning of the season, $250-$500, and in return you receive between 5-15 lbs of produce weekly. Instead of equating your share to fixed amount of produce, other CSAs count your share as afixed percent-off at their farmer's market stands. These are all good things for the carless city-dweller that I am.
I'm splitting a half share with friends this year at Stone Soup Farm. I'm excited because it means I'll have access to organic produce at around $2/lb. That's definitely better than most of the deals at Whole Foods or anywhere in my neighborhood. I hope to report back in June with the first fruits of the season and share recipes.
www.localharvest.org is a neat site where you can find local CSAs, farms, markets, and even restaurants that support local farms.
Ha! That would be a horrible idea for me.
Instead, I got my Google on and looked into local farm share programs. Community Supported Agriculture programs are pretty popular and nowadays farms will often deliver into the city and many no longer require that members put in work time. Some CSAs ask that you commit to a full or half share at the beginning of the season, $250-$500, and in return you receive between 5-15 lbs of produce weekly. Instead of equating your share to fixed amount of produce, other CSAs count your share as afixed percent-off at their farmer's market stands. These are all good things for the carless city-dweller that I am.
I'm splitting a half share with friends this year at Stone Soup Farm. I'm excited because it means I'll have access to organic produce at around $2/lb. That's definitely better than most of the deals at Whole Foods or anywhere in my neighborhood. I hope to report back in June with the first fruits of the season and share recipes.
www.localharvest.org is a neat site where you can find local CSAs, farms, markets, and even restaurants that support local farms.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
More Stanford wine without the Stanford label.
I totally was into the story of the dudes at Vinum Cellars when the Stanford Alumni Wine Program announced last year's selections. Richard Bruno and Chris Condos both headed to UC Davis to study Viticulture & Enology. Lucky for us, they began Vinum and brought forth into the world some phantasmic wines.
Last year, Stanford panel awarded Vinum Cellars' 2005 Red Dirt Red with it's highest honor and made it available to lucky Stanford folk under the name 2005 Cardinal Cuvée (sounds like coo-vay?). At some point I should learn what folks javascript:void(0)
Publish Post mean when they describe it as a Rhône-style or Châteauneuf-style wine. I can't find the tasting notes from the panel and Mr. Bruno, but the praise was high and the advice was to keep it as a collector wine. Well, I don't know if all my bottles will make it to the 5-7 year mark, but the bottles we've had so far are amazing. $30/bottle
I went so far as to contact the winery and join their wine club. They actually ship to Massachusetts!!!
Here's a snippet from my WineBeagles tasting note.
"bold. a drier red with lotsa cherry going on. the tannins greet your first sip with a swift, but enjoyable, punch on the kisser... uber hip label and cork design, too. "
Last year, Stanford panel awarded Vinum Cellars' 2005 Red Dirt Red with it's highest honor and made it available to lucky Stanford folk under the name 2005 Cardinal Cuvée (sounds like coo-vay?). At some point I should learn what folks javascript:void(0)
Publish Post mean when they describe it as a Rhône-style or Châteauneuf-style wine. I can't find the tasting notes from the panel and Mr. Bruno, but the praise was high and the advice was to keep it as a collector wine. Well, I don't know if all my bottles will make it to the 5-7 year mark, but the bottles we've had so far are amazing. $30/bottle
I went so far as to contact the winery and join their wine club. They actually ship to Massachusetts!!!
Here's a snippet from my WineBeagles tasting note.
"bold. a drier red with lotsa cherry going on. the tannins greet your first sip with a swift, but enjoyable, punch on the kisser... uber hip label and cork design, too. "
Thursday, February 28, 2008
A Stanford wine without the Stanford label...
Many my workmates asked were one could buy the Pedroncelli Cabernet Sauvignon that was featured as a 2007 Stanford Wine Program selection without having to trek to California. [A bonus to working with me is that I share Stanford wine from time to time].
Why did it stand out so much? It's a nice medium-bodied red with lots of solid berry flavor and just a slight amount of spice. The finish is just right and lingers just long enough to remind you that you need another sip.
I emailed the winery and they forwarded the list of stores below. It retails in the "real world" under the name: 2004 Pedroncelli Cabernet Sauvignon Three Vineyards*. You can buy directly from the winery or find it at a good number of places with the Google Product Search.
Leave a comment if you have a chance to try it!
Boston/Metro West Retailers
Albert Winestein 84 Fairmont (Hyde Park) [20% off on a case!]
Brighton Beverage 1650 Soldiers Field Rd (Brighton)
Brookline Liquor Mart 1354 Commonwealth Ave (Allston)
Gomes Liquors 58 Ashby State Rd (Fitchburg)
Hyders Mediterranean Market 408 Pleasant St (Worcester)
Macy’s 1826 Centre St (West Roxbury)
Plaza Liquor Mart 761 Providence Hwy (Dedham)
Port wine & Spirits 25 Storey Ave (Newburyport)
University Wine & Spirits 323A Boston Ave (Medford)
Water Street Wine & Spirits 1 Nicholas Rd (Framingham)
Wine Cask Cellars 100 Powdermill Rd (Acton)
*Under the Stanford label it was called 2004 Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Why did it stand out so much? It's a nice medium-bodied red with lots of solid berry flavor and just a slight amount of spice. The finish is just right and lingers just long enough to remind you that you need another sip.
I emailed the winery and they forwarded the list of stores below. It retails in the "real world" under the name: 2004 Pedroncelli Cabernet Sauvignon Three Vineyards*. You can buy directly from the winery or find it at a good number of places with the Google Product Search.
Leave a comment if you have a chance to try it!
Boston/Metro West Retailers
*Under the Stanford label it was called 2004 Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
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