Turkey Day Thanksgiving just happened to coincide with my birthday this year. How happy was I to be able to cook on my birthday??? While most people might label themselves exempt from chores on their birthday, nothing pleases me more than to cook for my loved ones. I especially love dreaming up crazy, extravagant menus […]
Caramel Braised Oxtail Noodle Soup If you read my post on pistachio caramels, you'll remember that I had some temperature issues that weekend. It was so warm in my air condition-less apartment, that my first batch of caramels started getting all melty and greasy. Definitely not suitable for the public. I was heartbroken, but there […]
Coffee Braised Bison Short Ribs with Mashed Sunchokes E-mail from my sister the week before Christmas:"Hey Julie… You should be expecting a 22 lbs package on Tuesday." I was flying home for the holidays, so she had been thoughtful enough to remember my disdain for checking luggage. I'll do anything to avoid it. My impatience. […]
Kale, Mashed Parsnips & Saffron Lentils Eat your vegetables!!! Admit it… how many of you have resolved to have a better diet in 2008? To swear off fast food? To eat all your vegetables? To, dare I utter the words, give up fried foods (gasp)? I'm not big on making resolutions, but after my overindulgences […]
Bento Box Dinner In the top left-hand corner we have a homemade buckwheat pasta (my take on soba noodles). As you can see, I've been taking full advantage of my new Kitchen Aide Pasta maker attachment. I just subbed out half of the all-purpose flour for buckwheat flour. These were a breeze to make and […]
Thanksgiving Plate My first Thanksgiving away from home. I was hosting an intimate dinner for four at my apartment and was nervous as to whether I'd be able to pull it off, turkey-less. Would I be able to capture the true essence of Thanksgiving sans turkey? Was it even possible? With pescatarians in attendance (one […]
Saffron Gnocchi Oh gnocchi… love to eat them… hate to make them! These guys are tricky… one wrong move and you've got yourself two pounds of good for nothing potato pellets. I've attempted to make gnocchi a total of three times in my entire culinary history and each time they were mediocre at best. I […]
Skate Wing with Cucumber, Heirloom Tomato & Seaweed Salsa As a recent owner of Chef Ludo Lefebvre's cookbook Crave: The Feast of the 5ive Senses, I just couldn't wait to try out one of the recipes from his gorgeous book. The pictures literally make you want to lick the book. Here's my attempt at his […]
Eggplant Stir-Fry with Spicy Sesame Sauce Voila… Stir-fried eggplant, zucchini, ong choy (aka swamp cabbage) and bell peppers, flavored with garlic, ginger, sambal, soy sauce and sesame sauce. Garnished with chopped cilantro and scalllions for a fresh contrast. Pair it with steamed brown rice for a simple, yet elegant dinner.
Chinese spinach is quite a looker in the vegetable universe. With its vivid green leaves centered with flames of vivid magenta, you really can't help but admire it. It's gorgeous, IMO. How many vegetables can you say that about? Chinese Spinach aka Amaranth Greens For dinner, I wanted to showcase my lovely, FM purchase in […]
