Chocolate Torte

My second dessert for dinner is this chocolate torte. I figure the dacquoise is very time consuming to make so this is easy. The only problem is I had a little too much batter for my 9" pan. The top crowned a bit and crack more than usual. It held though. With some confectioner's sugar and it doesn't look so bad. This has 10 egg yolks whipped with 1 cup of sugar (I like my chocolate bitter so I use less sugar than others); heated and mixed ½ lb of bittersweet and ½ lb of dark (well, the out of bittersweet and can find no open supermarket on Christmas Eve problem) and 14 tablespoons of butter; cooked them all together in double boiler until thick and added crème de framboise and vanilla. The whole thing is then folded into 10 whipped egg whites before baking for 2½ hours in 275℉. I made strawberry sauce and crème anglaise for this also. The hostess ate a giant piece of this (along with a piece of the dacquoise), I had never seen her eaten so much before, a good sign.

Dacquoise

I got dessert duty for a Christmas dinner. Dessert is not exactly my forte but this is a good opportunity to try something new. Since I make meringue cookies all the time, I decided one of the dessert is going to be dacquoise. I make my usual meringue with a little less almond so it is lighter. I made two with cocao but broke one of them. I then made two without cocao, piping one to the shape of the serving plate (not in picture). The fillings are ganache (made with half cup of cream, 2oz of bittersweet and 2oz of pure dark chocolates (I ran out of bittersweet so...) folded into half cup of cream whipped) and orange butter cream (orange zest, a tablespoon of Grand Marnier, half cup of sugar, whipped in 3 egg whites in a double boiler, whipped to peak off the heat and then add in half a pound of soft butter). Works out great, the cake board help it from breaking in transit.

Winter Abalone

Today is Winter Solstice on the Chinese Celandar (it is accurate in Asia) and I had a little family dinner. My aunt brought over a can of abalone. I cook it in the can, unopened, in water for about 3 hours (it is a little short but she didn't get here until after 3pm). I then found the liquid inside too salt so I use half of it and half chicken stock plus some oyster sauce, dark soy sauce and just a few grains of sugar to make the sauce. Feel quite luxurious, doesn't it?

Garlic Steamed Lobster

For the season, there are lobsters everywhere and at a good price. I bought this 3+ pounder and steam it with pressed garlic, a little salt and a sprinkle of Shaoxing liquor. It is quite fantastic and easy.

Frank Broil

I then make a London Broil with the remaining piece. This time it turned out far better. I kept it very rare, and it has quite a nice texture. Maybe this is the cut of beef tataki.

Frank Noodles

People always say frank steaks are perfect of stir fry, I never thought so. I saw them on sale and bought a piece. First I cut it very thin to make this noodle dish with some onion and green pepper. Didn't work out so well, there are much better cuts of beef for stir frying.

Linguine with Clams

Felt lazy while I was at the market so I bought some clams to make this, the simplest of pastas. The ingredients are well know, garlic, chili pepper flakes, white wine, parsley, and of course linguine and clams. Feels like summer, for some reason.

Chaozhou Night Snack

I was out late, got home hungry and thirsty so this is what I had: Chaozhou Congee, grilled fish cakes, chaozhou olive marinated giant mustard, Beijing style pickled luobo. The side dishes are ready made (the vegetables are store bought) and the congee is just rice and plenty of water, brought to a boil then left on low for 20 minutes. I put a couple of drops of fish sauce towards the end of the cooking. Easy, simple, feeds the hunger and replenishes fluid, perfect.

Longan Jelly Cake

This is actually a very old-time sweets, back at least a couple three hundred years. Very simply, dried longan, wolfberry and rock sugar (I don't happen to have red sugar around) are boiled together in water for 10 minutes then a couple tablespoons of gelatin powder is added. I put in some toasted olive seeds and then refrigerate. Very old-time in taste too, refreshing and good for you.

Taro

I bought a few taros the other day for no reason then I haven't had any for years. Each Mid-Autumn festival we used to eat boiled taros dipped in sugar. I had forgotten what a pleasure it is. There are of course thousands of recipes using taro but none is as pure and reminds me of my childhood as much as this most simple of preparations. These are not the best quality taros but they still invoked fine memories.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

I still have some sweet and sour sauce left from the other day so I made this. The chicken is salted, floured and then deep fried. The sauce is warmed up and then poured on top. Great with rice. The sauce is ketchup, Worcestershire Sauce, cane sugar, vinegar, dark soy sauce, water and starch. Doesn't read like it, does it? But it is classically Cantonese, from the recipe of one of the all time great Hong Kong chef Leung King.

Goodbye

I am feeling a beautiful sadness as I drink the very last drop of the Broadbent Terrantez Old Reserve I own. I have been drinking this last bottle slowly, knowing I may never find another bottle again. It is without a doubt my favourite wine of all time. It is such a comfort to drink it, the gentle warmth, the fine but vibrant acidity, the mild sweetness, the silky texture that glides on the tongue, and that wonderful nose, cinnamon, vanilla, almond, aged orange peel and the loveliness of fine oak. The story is nice too, as Bartholomew Broadbent explained it—it was lost in the warehouse for decades before he found it accidentally without anyone know its true age. A rare grape made into a fine wine, lost and then found to emerge as one of the finest there is. The passing of time did not make it dull or tired, just mature and deep. The only youthfulness forfeited is roughness and confusion. It has become complex, gentle, but vigorous and generous all the same. I have enjoyed its company for a couple of years now, and as I look at the empty glass, savouring the aftertaste, smelling the fragrant still lingering, I feel like I am saying goodbye to an old friend who is off to a long journey. I am fortunate to have had such a friend. And when I close my eyes, years from now, I will still be able to recall every fine detail of each of our encounters. Those will be happy moments, but now I am sad to see it slowly fades away.

This and That Dinner

A little of everything tonight. Stew beef shank meat, honey roasted pork, stirred fried bak choy, soy sauce stew potato, kimchee, takkuan and radish soup. Add a bowl or two of rice, this is a quick, and mostly already made, dinner.

Classic Cantonese Soup

This soup is made in every Cantonese household. Green and red radish (carrot), bitter and sweet almond, golden honey date and lean pork simmer in water for a couple of hours. Very simple. It sooths the respiratory system and generally replenish the body--a classic case of a combination of food and medicine. Taste good too.

Giant Dumplings

I was just starting to make dumplings and thought, "it may be quicker to make really big ones." I rolled wrappers that is twice as big and these are the results.









They turned into giant balloons in the pot...















And the result is more like buns than dumplings. It is good but a different experience. The thicker wrapper gives it more bite and the filling becomes more like a meat ball. Maybe this should be called boiled buns.

Kimchee Fried Rice

Today I wanted something different so I cut up some kimchee and made this fried rice with shrimp, egg, kimchee, scallion, cilantro and soy sauce. Kind of perky.

Not Bad Bagels

After a few days of work, my bagels are getting better. Now I actually really enjoy eating them. They are better than most in town. But then, I do live in Vancouver where good bagels are really hard to find. I am a traditionalist when it comes to bagel, i.e. old time New York City ones. Water bagels with either poppy seeds, garlic, onion, sesame seed or salt on them. That's it, no raisin, no egg, no pumpernickel, no nothing.







Cream cheese of course, a little onion and what is better than the gravlax I made and carefully froze in August. While my bagel is still far from ultimate, I dare say the accompaniments certainly are.

Korean-ish

Well, I have this rib steak and I want to spice it up a bit, so I seared it on a very hot pan, used water to make some pan juice and added some gochujang to it. Turned out really excellent. The potato is cooked in water, soy sauce, sugar, black pepper and garlic; it is one of my favourite Korean side dishes.

Subcontinental

For some reason I felt subcontinental today so tandoori-ish (I don't have a tandoori handy), curried cauliflower and flat bread seems appropriate.

Little Pot Rice

This is what Cantonese eat when the weather gets cold--sausages and cured meat cooked directly on top of the rice. Just add a little dark soy sauce and get a side of steamed vegetable and you have a chill fighting comfort meal for the everyman!

Shake and Bake

This is shake and bake chicken with a little difference. The seasonings are salt, pepper, sugar, hot curry powder and flour. I can't say this reminds me of childhood, since I had not eaten this until I came to North America, but certain college.

Classic Mustard Greens

This is a classic made in a classical way. Since I have some top stock left, I made this without shortcut. Large mustard greens, a little ginger, top stock, Japanese Shiitake and real Jinhua ham. The harmony is just perfect.

Coffee Chemistry

I have been roasting my own coffee for a few months now and it is such fun. I can play the coffee chemist, mixing and blending to my mood of the moment. Today's cup is particularly good, I have half full city Cuban Caracolilllo, a quarter Columbian Tuluni Supremo, and a quarter Ethiopian Yergaceffe brewed in a stove top espresso pot. A Chinese peanut cookie from Macau to go with it.

Bagels

Brought a book and tied to make bagels. First time out is a varying success. Got to work on it more but, hey, we have record snow outside and I don't have to go anywhere to get bagels.

Ribs

This is BBQ ribs with ground bean paste, sesame paste, sugar, rice liquor, salt, light and dark soy sauce. It tasted a little off and it was not until I had almost finished one whole piece that I realized I forgot to glaze it with maltose. Oh, well, not so sweet but still eatable. Feels like a space cadet though.

Puffy

I got a new baking powder that I have not used before and it has a very fast front end action--interacting with water. The result is a puffy batter and a fluffy pancake. I really like it, thick pancakes.

Tendons and Brisket

The traditional combination is tendons and briskets so I make this this time. The flavouring is also tradition--chuhou sauce, luohanguo, sugar, shaoxing wine, dark and light soy sauce, ginger and garlic, dry orange peel and water. Done in a pressure cooker for an hour and then the sauce is reduced. The brisket melts in the mouth and the tendons still have a little of a bite to it. The feeling of home!

Shark Fins

I know, this is not environmental friendly and downright cruel, but the fins here are over a decade old. Throwing them away seems to do no good for sharks now and making a good dish at least make the dead no so in vain. The stock is made with old hen, Jinhua ham bones and pork ribs, slowly simmered and heavily reduced. Hours is taken to steam the fins in a 'second' stock before finishing it in the 'top' stock with slices of ham.

Squash Soup

This is the first French soup I learnt to make years ago. Because it is so simply, I used to make it for potlucks all the time. It is just sweet squash, potato, sauteed leak, butter and stock (even just water). Here I added some curry powder too, just to make it more interesting. With or without the curry, this is a sweet and comforting soup for a cold and wet day. The sour cream just make it more comforting.

Threesome

I put three buns into the oven and they decided. The big guy on the left lost out. Three is usually an unhappy crowd.

Pepperoni

I always like pepperoni on my pizza like most people. What I am not sure is if I like it so much because of the taste or the way the round slices look on a pizza. With pepperoni, pizza just looks fun, even funny. Pineapple just looks weird. Again, when it comes to pizza, I am old fashion.

Bonus

The extra good thing about eating winter squash is the bonus of seeds. Just roast them and you have a great snack.

Chicken and Winter Squash Curry

One of the best thing about this time of the year is winter squash. I love all the sweet ones--acorn, butternut, buttercup, and good old pumpkin. They are sweet and comforting, just what is best to combat the volatile weather. Here I have a quarter of a kabocha in the curry, made the same way as I have made before: ginger, garlic, onion, madras powder, Koon Yick's curry paste and water. The curry paste's slight sourness works perfectly with the sweet kobocha. This warms both body and soul.

Large Fish Cake

I have been making thinner and smaller fish cakes for convenience but this time I decided to make a big thick one. Same dace paste but the thickness is very nice. I think I like this better.

Tonic

This is a soup made with green papaya, lean port with bone, root of Solomon's seal 玉竹, Chinese yam 淮山 and barley. Chinese, particularly Cantonese, believes in the commonality of food and medicine so herbs used in medicine find its way into food very often. Here is an example. Quite tasty too.






With meat from the soup, just a little dipping sauce and some pickles, this is quite a complete meal.

Tripe Noodle

The best thing about this type of Cantonese stews is that they do extremely well in noodle soups. Streets in Hong Kong and Guangzhou are lined with small restaurants and stalls selling them. And it is so easy to do at home too. The soup here is just the stew' s sauce deluded. And we can't have this without some good hot sauce, can we?

Ad-Hoc Fried Rice

Here I have a fried rice that someone out in Malaysia may dig deep into his fridge and make. Half a Chinese sausage, a hand full of cooked shrimp, an egg, a few bean sprouts, a touch of sambal and a sprinkle of light soy sauce and chopped scallion are the seasonings. Not a classic but quite tasty.

East Asian Dinner

Looks like a Korean dinner but the honeycomb tripe is made the same way as the tendons and shanks from a few days ago, just a little sweeter. I think both Chinese and Korean would like this though. The tripe is cooked in a pressure cooker till creamy. The good thing about richly flavoured food is that you need very little of it.

Quick Dish

A little cold cut and bean sprouts in for a quick fry and then add a couple of eggs to make this. Not a great dish but quick for a snack with some rice or whatnot.

Went to the Korean Store Today...

So, here is sort of the heat and serve result: grilled eel, mat kimchi, Kkac-du-ki, takkuan, mushroom miso soup with tofu. All six tastes are present.

Hanging onto Summer

Continuing on the nostalgic for summer theme, instead of rice noodles in soup I have it cold here with nuoc nam and sambal. Add some cold stewed beef and here it goes. Should have some cilantro, but I was out.

Summer recalled

Needed a little sunshine in the gray so I brought out some of that tomato sauce from a couple months ago. Hit a spot, sweet sweet tomatoes!

Sausage Rice in Clay Pot

It is cold windy and wet out these days and this is the very seasonal simple thing to eat. Just add a little dark soy sauce to the rice and it is good to eat. Best when lazy.

Shrimp Roe

This is tofu with shrimp roe. I usually make it like most do: the tofu is soft and the sauce is wet. Here I wanted something crispy so I pan fried the tofu till brown with ginger and then added the dry shrimp roe to toast and finally some sugar, soy sauce and a touch of chicken stock. After a few second this is the result. I rather like it.

Variation

Beef noodle soup is a great standard, but after a while, no matter how well you make it, it gets a little old, a little boring. Here I added some sweet sweet zicai seaweed to change it taste a little, and the result is no longer dull.

Pork Chops, Winter Melon, and Cauliflower Mushroom

I usually make the winter melon soup with salted egg yolk, but it is cold now and I got these cauliflower mushroom so I make the soup with jinhua ham and the mushroom. Jinhua ham is just great with mushroom, particularly wild ones. Grilled some pork chops too, marinated with ginger, garlic, Shaoxing liquor, sugar, salt and sesame oil. Very simple, very good.