As you know I’m not much of a drinker. A genetic mutation causes my body to process alcohol as if it were poison. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t stop me when I’m out at an event, a dinner, or when friends are in town, there are times when cocktails are needed or in this case, wanted.

Citrus season is in full bloom here in Texas. Grapefruits, clementines, oranges, lemons and limes are flowing in by the truckloads and naturally the aromas are a playful awakening to the palate. I thought this cocktail would be the perfect celebration for Chinese New Year — the deep red from the sensuously bitter Campari, a sweet bite from the Hendrick’s, finished by the intoxicating aromas of grapefruit —  it’s meant to be sipped opposed to gulped.

This year we celebrate The Year of the Dragon — the only mythical creature out of the 12 signs. It is believed that the dragon possess great power and may even have magical control over the weather and water. We’ll be celebrating with Nian-Gao (Rice Cakes) and Hot Pot tonight as my brother in law was born in this year — Go Carter! I managed to give the house a good scrub to make sure we start off the year free of spirits.

I called my mom today and could barely hear her over the fireworks that were exploding outside her window in Shanghai. Hopefully one year I’ll be able to experience the excitement but for now, I’m more than complacent with my Grapefruit Negroni.  Thank you Esquire for the recipe.

“ The nuns taught us there were two ways through life – the way of nature and the way of grace. You have to choose which one you’ll follow. Grace doesn’t try to please itself. Accepts being slighted, forgotten, disliked. Accepts insults and injuries. Nature only wants to please itself. Get others to please it too. Like to lord it over them. To have its own way. It finds reasons to be unhappy when all the world is shining around it. And love is smiling through all things. The nuns taught us that no one who loves the way of grace ever comes to a bad end. I will be true to you. Whatever comes.”

I plan on renewing my imagination.

Develop a stronger focus.

Reveal a better me, a stronger me, a wiser me.

I want to make cooking easier.

Less daunting.

Fun.

Because being connected to our food, makes us feel alive.

It allows us to take some time out of our day to enjoy the simpler joys in life.

So let’s start this year together.

Let’s get back into the kitchen and start with the basics.

Honor ourselves with consciousness and respect.

These soba noodles should do the trick. Buckwheat noodles, fried egg, crunchy carrots and toasted sesame seeds — what’s not to like?

Try it a few times and you’ll find your rhythm and before you know it, a healthful, soulful dinner awaits you in just a blink of an eye…

Eat well. Eat consciously. Eat to nourish.

Let’s make 2012 a fabulous year together, shall we?

On a side note, I received an unexpected surprise.  As I was reading Food & Wine’s Top Chef Magazine I found one of my photos I took of Tre Wilcox in there for the Restaurant Wars article!  Can anyone find something funny about the photo?

Winner gets a prize ]]> http://joylicious.net/2012/01/09/soba-noodles-with-fried-egg/feed/ 11 http://joylicious.net/2011/11/22/happy-friendsgiving/ http://joylicious.net/2011/11/22/happy-friendsgiving/#comments Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:49:56 +0000 Joy http://joylicious.net/?p=4559  My favorite holiday of the year is hands down, Thanksgiving.  Growing up, my family didn’t have many Thanksgiving traditions – it was a foreign holiday that we never really embraced.  But I’d always dream about what kind of Thanksgivings I’d have when I grew up: the perfectly browned turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potato casserole with those nicely melted marshmallows on top, green bean casserole topped with crispy fried onions…the glory!

Once I headed off to college and pretty much had to fend on my own, cooking was something that continued to stay constant in my life (Thank you mom!).  So before everyone would disperse for Thanksgiving every year, we’d get together, I’d make an epic Thanksgiving feast, and we’d eat ourselves stupid — but in a good way. It was my way of showing my appreciation to my friends in the best way I knew how: through food.    Now as the years have passed I still maintain my annual Thanksgiving feast tradition.  I like that, tradition.  It takes a long time for something to become a tradition.

It was our first Thanksgiving feast in our new home this year so I knew I had to make it special.  To prepare a feast for 15 people can often be a challenge so I kept my recipes simple and made sure to start prepping as early as possible.  I created prep lists to keep track of all the tasks that needed to be completed and made detailed shopping lists of what stores and what items I’d need.  I started prepping 3 days before the event and once the big day came I wasn’t running around the kitchen like a maniac.  I felt revived after not cooking for so long and yes there were some mistakes but overall the entire meal was a wonderful success.  People went back for seconds and thirds, others passed out from intense food coma, and of course to maintain “tradition” we ended the meal by forcing the cook to perform a piano solo.  (Thank you Jenni)  Apparently there is NO REST for the weary.

We had Cajun Turkey, Southwestern Cream Corn, Green Bean Casserole with Maitake Mushrooms, Cornbread Stuffing with Sausage and Apples, Sweet Potatoe Casserole with Marshmallows, Fresh Garden Salad, Roasted Vegetables with Walnut Gremolata, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Peanutbutter Chocolate Trifle, Caramel Apple Pie, Sugar Shortbreads and Peanutbutter M&M Cookies.  I’d like to share two recipes that I think many of you will enjoy during thanksgiving: Maple Corn Bread and THE Chocolate Peanutbutter Trifle. 

I adored this cornbread recipe that I found via Real Simple. It was easy to make and the results was a buttery sweet cornbread with a slightly crisp edge and top.  I wished I had made extra for tableside bread but I actually used this cornbread recipe for my stuffing.  I made the recipe two days beforehand to save time, plus this gave the bread time to dehydrate a little bit before cooking.  I even used some leftover cornbread pieces and used them for croutons on a salad.

I didn’t discover the beauty of trifle until I started to date my husband.  Before that my main reference to trifle was through Friends when Rachel made a trifle, messed up the recipe because one of the pages were stuck to Shepard’s Pie but hey Joey liked it – custard, jam, meat, what’s not to like?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=pqq_Wrwo5zw

My first real experience with trifle was through my Aunt Lauri — she made this incredible trifle of moist cake, custard, cream, lots of chocolate…it was a beautiful thing.  I never was able to shake the memory of her wondrous trifle until the following year when we’d all get to have it again for Thanksgiving.  This time around I thought I’d try a trifle for Friendsgiving.

There were a few problems I’d like to note about my first trifle experience that will help you guys out –

1. Make BIG generous layers.  My problem I made the layers too small so when it came to serving time, all the layers kind of blended together.  I realized when you make big generous layers of every filling, when it comes to serving time, your guests will be able to differentiate the different layers you have going on for your trifle.

2. I originally used gingerbread for my cake layer.  I should’ve used a moist chocolate cake (which is what I changed the recipe to).  Ginger, chocolate, peanut butter — not good. Chocolate, chocolate, peanut butter — REAL good.

Other than that, the fillings were really quick and easy.  I found the peanut butter mousse and milk chocolate pudding via Epicurious  and the salted caramel sauce from Food and Wine.  The peanut butter mousse tasted very similar to the filling in a Reeses peanut butter cup and the milk chocolate pudding was rich and decadent.  I used a gourmet dark chocolate bar I found at my local store for a bolder flavor but feel free to use milk for a milder touch.  And the salted caramel sauce adds the perfect finishing touch and I used whatever was leftover and poured it on top of my Apple Streusel Pie so it became an Apple Caramel Streusel Pie.

Holidays are the best time to try your luck in the kitchen.  What better reason to discover your inner chef?  Whatever your drive may be, remember: food is always love.  Even if you happen to have a little meat in your trifle.  Happy Thanksgiving friends.  Best wishes for a wonderful time with family and friends and don’t forget to go for extra helpings of dessert (in moderation) <— who are we kidding?

My mother came to visit recently; it’s been a year since I’ve last seen her.  I still always cry whenever she arrives and when she leaves, we both do.  It was nice to have her with me again, the comforting familiarity that places the heart in a warm and calming space is something I often miss when she’s gone.  The more I begin to understand my mother the more I grow to love her.  I wouldn’t have my spirit if it weren’t for her.  I asked a lot about my beginnings while she was here– trying to connect the dots and figure out why I am the way I am.

“Did I always like to eat?”

“ OHMYGOODNESS YES! You aaaalways sooo hungry, always eating eating eating. When you born in the hospital, they wheel babies into your room and I always hear you cry cry cry.  I know that must be my hungry baby.  Really, you eat a lot!  Why you think I always worry you fat?”

“ -_-“

“So was I always a happy baby?  Was I ever difficult?”

“Actually you’re pretty easy.  Yes always happy happy, smiling, laughing but when you hungry, oooo you sooo fussy.”

“I see nothing’s changed. And how did you get pregnant, was I planned was I an accident?”

“NO! Accident?  Mommy plan to have you!  I think to myself – am I ready to be a mom? So one weekend 6 month after we marry,  your father and I go to SuZhou with our friends and we have such the perfect weekend.  We so in love so happy so I knew this was good time to try.  So we did and first time I get pregnant!”

And just like that, I began.

The kitchen is quiet for once since mom has been here.  She was leaving soon in a few days.  What better way to mend a heavy heart than with the perfect dessert?  I pulled out all my new baking toys from the wedding and wasted no time baking away.  I adapted this recipe via Epicurious because I had a couple of Kabochas just begging to be used.  I doubled the recipe to make 6 1 cup  ramekins but the original recipe I am posting makes 6 3/4-cup ramekins.  And the cream?  Yes it’s worth the 15-minute effort.  Ask mom, she ate practically the whole thing to herself.  The textures are similar to light fluffy cake clouds with rustic undertones of all those feel good spices – cinnamon, cardamom, ginger.  Top with generous pillows of the brown sugar cream and it’ll send any soul to the most glorious of dessert heavens.

Brown sugar cream:

• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 3 large egg whites

Cakes:

• 2 cups 3/4-inch cubes peeled seeded kabocha squash (from one 3-pound squash)
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup lager (mild-flavored beer)
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For brown sugar cream:

Place 1 tablespoon water in cup. Sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand 10 minutes to soften.

Stir cream and sugar in medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add egg whites and whisk until mixture thickens, about 12 minutes (do not boil). Add gelatin mixture; whisk until dissolved. Strain into large clean bowl. Chill until cold. Cover and chill overnight.
For cakes:

Combine squash and milk in heavy small saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to simmer over medium heat. Partially cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until squash is very tender, about 20 minutes. Remove vanilla bean. Drain squash. Place in processor and blend until smooth. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray six 3/4cup ramekins with nonstick spray. Place 1/2 cup squash puree in large bowl (reserve remaining puree for another use). Add sugar, oil, beer, and egg to puree and beat to blend. Sift flour, spices, baking soda, and salt over; beat to blend. Divide batter among prepared ramekins.

Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Cool cakes in ramekins. Turn out onto plates. Beat brown sugar cream to firm peaks; spoon alongside cakes.

*** If you do not have ramekins you can also bake these in cupcake liners.  Reduce the baking time to about 12-15  minutes.

It’s a common belief that only children tend to be awkward, many times introverts and apparently always selfish.  Well whoever said that was obviously jealous- speaking from personal experience being the only child was pretty freaking awesome.

Sure I’m weird (I prefer quirky), and on some days I’m definitely one of the most introverted people you’ll ever meet and when it comes to food, you bet I’m selfish — DONT YOU BE TOUCHIN MY BROWNIES. Don’t get me wrong, there were plenty of days when I’d feel so painfully lonely — until the age of 7 most of my friends came in stuffed animal form.  Laugh it up chuckles but it really forced me to explore my creative side as a result. Plus it was nice to be king like all the time and to this day I love nothing more than spending time alone by myself, with my books, my words and my imagination.  It’s a beautiful thing folks, that is until your life is turned upside down and suddenly the 2 people you love most in the world sadly drift apart.

It was hard.  My parents’ divorce that is.  And at the time when it happened (I was 18) I remembered feeling my heart had been torn in half.  To make matters worse, I go off to college and the first Summer back both my parents had moved on and SURPRISE!  I suddenly had a new mom, a new dad AND a younger sister?  NOW HOLD ON A MINUTE.  I do not share my throne of greatness and especially not with this weird little bugger that was 9 years younger than me.  What the hell does a 18 year old and a 9 year old have in common?  Oh right.  Nothing.

It was awkward.  Everything felt all out of whack.  I’d hang out with mom and her new beau and then have to switch to dad and his new family.  Trust me, I wasn’t amused.  I’ve never felt so uncomfortable and out of place.  It’s as if they both started brand new lives but without me.  *Enter pity party here*

But with time, comes change and eventually acceptance.  I now had 2 moms, 2 dads and a little sister TT.  In my mind I was convinced she was evil.  Out to steal my reign as the favorite and eventually my awesomeness would be replaced by this little bugger with beady eyes, I’m on to you TT don’t think I don’t see your tricks! Yet no matter how hard I’d resist, year after year she’d grow on me.  She made me this really sweet card for my birthday this one time and would climb into bed to cuddle with me in the mornings.  Trying to tug on my heart strings I see, well played TT, well played.

Then something strange happened.  I found myself actually enjoying having a sister.  What once was a foreign and uncomfortable feeling morphed into something bigger and definitely better and you know, it’s pretty awesome.  I finally have someone I can put make up on, take shopping, go out to eat, give boy advice to and my favorite, bake cookies with.

Most importantly, life didn’t feel as lonely anymore.  It was nice to have a partner-in-crime, someone to snicker with when the parents were being silly, someone to talk to when you were feeling a little sad and someone to love and accept whole heartedly and unconditionally.  Man, I should start writing Hallmark cards.

Plus being a big sister means I can boss her around anywhere anytime any day, AM I RIGHT?

Before TT started her last year of high school she came up to Dallas to visit.  We ate at Fearing’s, Marquee Grill, Royal Sichuan.  I gave her $100 bucks and taught her the art of “bargain shopping” (she bought 3 dresses, jeans and a top) and I showed her some simple recipes that’d be perfect for her when she went off to college.  My mother in law gave me an antique cookbook from the 1930s where there was a recipe for Snickerdoodles.  Since cookies are one of the easiest things to make I opted to teach TT that one. 

These cookies are spectacular, with crispy edges and chewy centers it’s one of those cookies that fill your tummy with warm fuzzies.  And what better way to bond with friends and family than with a large plate of freshly baked cookies washed down with tall glasses of cold milk?  Plus I told TT if you want a boy to fall for you hard and take you out on an epic date, these are the cookies that’ll tug on his heart strings. Happy baking folks, until next time…

There are many qualities that define a good chef: a well organized kitchen, an inviting dining space, and certainly delicious food that’ll keep you coming back for more.  But what makes a great chef?  At Smoke, Chef and co-owner Tim Byres is finding the roots of great food again.  He pushes the limit when it comes to finding resources and suppliers for ingredients and goes even further with going back to basic good ‘ole fashion cooking techniques.  This week for Sunday Brunch, Chef Byres will be sharing his infamous Blueberry Pancakes served with Vanilla Poached Apricots and Fresh Cream.

Byres first discovered his love for cooking through family get togethers, he often helped his mother prepare for backyard parties, relishing in the energy and hospitality that came along with entertaining.  “There’s this service, fun, unpretentious kind of happiness that happens at these parties that I hope to share with people.”

During high school Byres started working as a busboy at restaurants and soon after decided to attend Johnson and Wales in Miami. Upon graduating, he worked under Jonathan Eismann from The Pacific Times at the age of 18 and from there he went on to work at several other prestigious restaurants including Stephan Pyles and The Mansion in Dallas.

Dallas is lucky to have a gem like Smoke.  Chef Byres really wants to bring diners back to the basics again with good old-fashioned recipes like breads made from scratch, house-cured and smoked meats and pickled vegetables, along with sweet and savory jams.  It’s this beautiful earthy simplicity geared towards renewing the reminiscence of how cooking use to be: simple, natural, and family-styled.

“They call it heritage inspired food but you know it’s more like old fashioned American cooking, like with wood fire cooking.  We have all these lost recipes that really aren’t done anymore because now you just buy bread from the stores, pickles in jars…I want to bring it all back.”

What a magical wonder he’s created.  The most beautiful part of it all is how Byres strives to make diners feel right at home with a simple dose of Southern hospitality where the forks and knives may not match, but rest assured you’ll always leave Smoke with a happy stomach and a full heart.

“I’m trying to demystify any real funky ole recipe that no one knows about and then bring them out in a fun way.  Also there’s just a certain nostalgia level to everything – when this place [Smoke] gets busy people will start talking to other tables around them.  I’ll even have long tables full of friends and family that share a family-styled meal together.  So if you’re in this real fancy fuddy duddy formal arena, you don’t get any of that.  I guess breaking some of those rules down and bringing it back to what it was, you know the beginning.”

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Chef Byres was selected as The People’s Best New Chef by Food and Wine magazine this year.  He is after all a great chef: he respects the history of American cooking; he strives to find only the very best local ingredients through developing close relationships with farmers and purveyors; he goes to great lengths in ensuring that every diner has a fun, memorable and comforting experience.  It’s chefs like Byres that makes food feel alive again, nourishing our minds, bodies and souls.

Visit Smoke for brunch served every weekend from 8am-3pm.

Whisk cake flour, all purpose flour, and next 3 ingredients in large bowl. Whisk milk and eggs in medium bowl. Gradually whisk milk mixture into dry ingredients. Mix in 3 tablespoons melted butter.

Heat griddle or 2 heavy large nonstick skillets over medium heat. Brush lightly with additional melted butter. Working in batches, pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto griddle. Sprinkle each pancake with 1 heaping tablespoon blueberries. Cook until bottoms brown, about 1 1/2 minutes. Turn pancakes over and cook until second sides brown, about 1 minute. Divide pancakes among plates. Serve with syrup.

Recipe for Honey Vanilla Poached Apricots from Epicurious

• 1 cup water
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
• 3/4 pound fresh apricots, halved lengthwise and pitted

In a 1 1/2-quart saucepan simmer water, honey, sugar, and vanilla bean, covered, 5 minutes. Add apricots and simmer, covered, until just tender but not falling apart, 2 to 5 minutes, depending on ripeness of fruit.

Transfer apricots with a slotted spoon to a bowl and boil syrup until reduced to about 1/2 cup. Pour syrup over apricots and chill 25 minutes.

With that in mind, we must be sure to celebrate her marvel and grace that is America.  Raise your glasses this year and celebrate your patriotism to the US of A — be loud and be proud for being an American no matter what race, color, or religion and make a vow to be the best citizen you can be.  What we have here is beautiful and we should always take the time to cherish and appreciate what our founding fathers have done for us.  I hope you enjoyed that Independence Day PSA, I felt really patriotic after watching Team America last night: I am officially ramped up for this weekend.

I love the wholesomeness of this recipe — just 3 simple ingredients: fresh berries, fat free Greek yogurt and raw honey.  It truly is simplicity at its finest.  Since Greek yogurt has a thicker and creamier consistency and flavor than regular yogurts, these popsicles taste absolutely decadent without the guilt.  Using honey as a natural sweetener, it adds a nice floral body to the yogurt and brings out the sweetness of the berries even further.

Baking has always been meditative to me — it takes patience, delicate finesse, and oh right, more patience.  Being Anal is key when making sure your measurements are spot on — not too much not too little. Timing is also another important one, a minute too long in the oven could be catastrophic.  But the best part of baking is the reward at the end: putting all the elements together to create the perfect masterpiece.  This recipe is exactly that.

These would be the perfect cupcakes to make that boyfriend who may need some extra convincing a proposal better be in order this year, or to butter up that stickler of a boss that seems to go out of his way to give you a hard time,  or better yet, for your family and loved ones for any occasion — because honestly, who doesn’t love a good cupcake.  (And I’m not talking about that Sprinkles bullshit.)   The point is, these cupcakes are amazing and contain magical powers that can induce sudden feelings of euphoria and grandeur.   Banana Cream Pie Cupcakes quite possibly may have become my new favorite cupcake after my Strawberry Cheesecake ones.

With a crunchy Nilla wafer bottom, layered with a moist Roasted Banana Cake that is filled with a vanilla bean banana custard, topped with Chantilly Cream and garnished with bruleed banana slices and more Nilla wafer love — I think it’s safe to say I’ve created my own personal masterpiece.  So without further ado, what better way to photograph my masterpiece than throwing one of my favorite artists in the mix?  Picasso meet Banana Cream Pie Cupcakes, Banana Cream Pie Cupcakes meet Picasso — you two make the quite the beautiful pair (and yes, I am positive Picasso would’ve loved these too.)

I find in my (late) twenties I’ve fallen into a period of confusion.  A seemingly backwards evolution from my cheeky and egotistical adolescent years.  What had happened??  How is it that the older I become, the more I begin to realize how little I actually know?  The more answers I get the more follow up questions I have.  Everything is suddenly backwards where I actually beg my parents to lecture me, because YES I am finally ready after all these years to receive their wisdom. It’s hard to find and maintain the perfect balance between love, work and self preservation.

Recent influx of work has taken time away from the kitchen.  It’s been fun, exciting and exhilarating, yet at the end of the day I felt like something was missing.    It wasn’t until I got back from our vacation that I realized how deeply rooted I am with food.  As much as I enjoy a nice dinner at a restaurant, I can’t help but be that control freak when preparing my meals. Since being back I’ve done nothing but cook in the kitchen — getting back to the rhythm, feeling my food, enjoying the beauty of self preservation. I relish in working directly with the ingredients I cook with — feeling them, smelling them, tasting them — it’s become this deep connection between my heart and the earth and the result?  A beautiful recipe.

I bought these organic strawberries last Friday and then left town for the weekend, completely forgot about them and come around Tuesday they were not at their best.  What to do with these slightly wilted beauties?  They only have a few wrinkles after all.  I could’ve easily tossed them in the trash but I managed to salvage the little life they had left and transformed it into something blissful.  The best way to salvage old fruit?  Roast them.

Roast them with a little cinnamon and sugar or I tossed mine in some Balsamic Vinegar from Modena Italy (available through Artizone) and brown sugar.  The sugar, vinegar and juices from the berries caramelize into a luxurious fruity and tangy reduction — perfect over some rich and creamy creme fraiche ice cream.