Halloween Marble Cake

My company had a baking competition today and I had to enter.  I decided to go with a marble cake as it has been a special request from one of my co-workers for a long time now!

I basically used a modified version of: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chocolate-orange-marble-cake/



1 cup butter
1 1/4 cups white sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup plain yogurt
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons grated orange zest
3 tablespoons of cocoa powder
2 tablespoons orange extract
Orange and Black food colouring

First cream together the sugar and butter.  I was using special jelly like orange food colouring which should be worked in earlier.

Beat in the egg and yogurt, then carefully fold in the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt).  Usually recipes tell you to mix wet ingredients and dry ingredients in separate bowls and then fold them together.  I cheat but if you're not comfortable with baking cakes yet you should follow that method.

Divide the mixture in half and add the cocoa powder and black food colouring to one side, orange extract to the other side.

Carefully add the batter into a greased mold by spooning in a spoonful of each batter from both bowls.

It's tedious but keep working until you fill the mold.  Then swirl it a bit with a knife.

Bake at 350 F for 50 min.  Then let cool.

Flip it out on a cooling rack and spoon on a standard glaze.  (2 cups of icing sugar mixed in a couple of tablespoons of water).

It ended up pretty good!  The chocolate and orange flavours was subtle but there.  And I won first place at work!

Cat Cora's Chicken Stroganoff

Woot!  Another free evening.   On the way home tonight I was racking my brain on what to make for dinner.  It's fall and the weather starting to turn which makes me crave comfort food.  Then I remembered watching a video online of Cat Cora demonstrating her chicken stroganoff that's supposed to be warm and comforting.  Let's do it!

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39521937/ns/today-food/t/cat-coras-chicken-stroganoff/

 Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more if needed
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more if needed
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup minced shallots
• 1/4 cup Marsala
• 3/4 cup rich chicken stock or low-sodium stock
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon, plus 6-8 sprigs for garnish
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• noodles or rice

Instead of buying boneless chicken thighs, there was a sale on drumsticks so I decided to go with that and do the deboning myself.  The 5 chicken drumsticks costs $3.28 when a package of 6 boneless chicken thighs cost over $10.  Plus you get the personal satisfaction of being able to exercise your butchery skill!  The only thing about the drumsticks is that there are a lot of sinuous which is annoying to remove.  Cut up the chicken into bite sized chunks, season, and then set aside.

Here's the rest of the "Mise en Plas" (Fancy French cooking term for prep).  I basically sliced up some mushrooms and shallots and a 1/4 onion.  The mushrooms and onions is not in Cat Cora's recipe but I had a leftover 1/4 onion I wanted to get rid of - and mushrooms is traditional in Stroganoff.  I rip the leaves off some fresh tarragon and gave it a rough chop.

Heat up some olive oil and soften the shallots, onions, and mushrooms.

When the shallots, onion, and mushrooms are soft (around 5 min) create a well in the middle and throw in the chicken.  The middle of the pan is the hottest so it's where you want the chicken to be.  Your instinct is to start stirring it around but leave it to sear for a couple of minutes, then flip the chicken and sear the other side, and then you can start stirring it all together.

 After you cook the chicken set aside.

In your pan, pour in the Marsala wine.  Use your spoon to deglaze the fond on the bottom of the pan.  Then pour in your chicken stock and reduce for a few minutes.

Stir in the dijon mustard and tarragon.  After the mustard is disolved, throw back in the reserved chicken / shallots / onions.  Then stir in the sour cream.

After you let it simmer for a few minutes (don't let it boil or the sour cream may split), you're done!  Serve on some plain noodles.  It was pretty yummy!  The fresh tarragon was interesting.  The herb gave it a bit of a different element that I'm not used to - but kinda acts as a counterpoint to the richness of the dish.

Pad Thai vs Pad Thai

Hi Guys.  Sorry for the long stretch with no blog entry!  People have been bugging me - "Ed, why aren't you updating your food blog!!"  Ok Lorna, get off my back - this entry is for you!!  Just to let my readers know I've recently accepted a new position at my company and I'm doing a lot of work in the evening - so unfortunately I'm not blogging as much as I want to.  Tonight I happen to have a free night - so no more excuses, here's my next blog entry!

Next to where I work on Broadway and Granville, 2 competing Thai restaurants opened within the same month.  "Jitlada" and "Bob Likes Thai Food".  Both restaurants are located on the north side of Broadway, but on opposite sides of Granville street.  I'll be writing food blog reviews on both restaurants but as a teaser I thought I'll better get something in for the meantime:  A 'Pad Thai' vs 'Pad Thai' throwdown!  So my co-worker and I each went to a Thai Restaurant and ordered their Chicken Pad Thai to go - then brought it back to the office for a taste off.

First a couple of notes on service.  I went to 'Bob Likes Thai Food' and my co-worker went to Jitlada.  I walked in, sat at the bar and had to wait several minutes to be waited on.  But almost immediately after I placed my order they brought me my meal and I was on my way!  It gives me a suspicious feeling that they might have a big pot of Pad Thai in the back and that it wasn't made to order - but I'm not sure.

My co-worker who went to Jitlada reports that she had very attentive service and was given a glass of water while she waited for her food.

The second note is price.  The Pad Thai at 'Bob Likes Thai Food' costs $8 for their lunch special.  The Pad Thai at Jitlada costs $12 for their lunch special.  So that means that for us to rule in favour of Jitlada, the quality of the food has to overcome a $4 handicap.   If all things are equal 'Bob Likes Pad Thai' will win due to being cheaper. 

First let's look at "Bob Likes Thai Food".

It comes with a fried wonton skin wrapper drizzled with sweet chile sauce, a small salad, and the Pad Thai.  We really like the fried wonton skin.  But the salad was pretty disappointing.  Just a couple of leaves dressed in the same sweet chile sauce.   The Pad Thai was fairly good - no ketchup taste which is a sign of an un-authentic Pad Thai.  BUT my co-worker says she tastes BBQ sauce.  I didn't get that initially but after the thought was put in my head I keep tasting BBQ sauce myself!  Authentic Pad Thai must be made with tamarind paste and Ketchup or BBQ sauce is a big no no.


Jitlada's Pad Thai

Jitlada's Pad Thai lunch special comes with a simple house salad dressed in a creamy dressing and a spring roll.  The spring roll is filled with rice noodle and vegetables.  If you eat at the restaurant, you also get a sweet chile dipping sauce which is apparently not available for take out.  The salad is also bigger than 'Bob Loves Thai'.  The Pad Thai itself is also very good.  It's a little bit more tomatoey and also sweeter than Bob Loves Thai.  I don't think they use ketchup but some sort of mix of tomato sauce and tamarind paste.  I wish the flavour of the sauce isn't that sweet so I give Bob Loves Thai Food a slight edge for flavour.  They give you more chicken and tofu than Bob Loves Thai Food, and the chicken is cooked more tender.  

So here's the score card:

Price: Bob Loves Thai Food

Service: Jitlada

Speed: Bob Loves Thai Food

Salad: Jitlada

Fried Accompaniment: Jitlada

Quantity: Comparable

Tofu and Chicken: Jitlada

Flavour of the sauce: Bob Loves Thai Food (slight edge)

Verdict: Jitlada

So after weighing all the factors my co-worker and I both judged in favour of Jitlada!  It was a fun exercise taking the same dish from 2 restaurants and doing a side by side comparison so you might see more of these in the future.

Le Crocodile

Long long time ago when I first started trying to learn what 'fine dining' is like, I decided the only way to learn is go to the fanciest place in town and start eating.  So I went knowing nothing about french food.  I remember feeling disappointed as I imagined french food was supposed to be plates and plates of little tasting bites but that wasn't what was served.  It's been over 5 years since then and I've grown a lot in my knowledge and understanding of food, so when one of my good friends who accompanied me to the first Le Crocodile meal was celebrating her birthday I decided it'll be fun to go back and try the restaurant again!

Crab Tart

For our amuse bouche, we were served a crab tart.  The crab tart was very good.  Creamy.  Savory.  Rich.  But not crabby.  What? A crab tart not crabby? Nope, not this one - couldn't taste the crab.  But it was good though!  If I never knew it was called a 'crab tart' I would have thought it was outstanding.

Dungeness crab cake, baby lentils, pickled red onion, tobiko, olive, spinach & basil aioli.

This was served to my friend (the birthday girl!)  She says it was full of crab meat without a lot of bread crumb filling.

Pan Seared Fois Gras in Reduced Red Wine Sauce topped with a scallop

I liked the sauce on this dish the best.  This fois gras was from Quebec duck livers and not from forced fed geese.  It still had a offal taste that I wasn't a big fan of.  Maybe forced fed geese taste better?

Escargot in Garlic Butter

The garlic butter sauce served with the escargot was sooooo good!  It's served in these very light and delicate pastry cups.  The escargot were perfectly cooked - not rubbery at all.

Oysters in a half shell with shallot Mignonette

I didn't get a chance to sample this but my friend who had this enjoyed it.  It was his first time eating fresh raw oysters too!

Chilean Sea Bass in Lobster Bisque sauce

This was one of the specials that was offered.  I've read a lot about Chilean Sea Bass.  It's supposed to be even more tender and soft than my favorite protein: the sablefish.  And it didn't disappoint!  This fish was so soft and succulent it had the texture of soft tofu.  Not to the point of mushy though.  Lots of flavour and very yummy.  

Steak Au Poivre

Steak in peppercorn sauce is such a classic french dish.  It's actually one of the first french dishes I've ever learned to make.  Although this wasn't my entree I got to sample it - and it had a way more stronger peppery flavour than what I'm used to.  The steak was also supposed to be medium and was more to the medium rare side.

Caribou

This was another special that's normally not offered on the regular meu.  The caribou meat was sooo tender!  I have no idea what they did to it as wild game meat is usually pretty tough.  The gamey flavour was slight but there.  If you don't mind the gameness I would definitely recommend this dish.

Palette Cleanser: Pear Sorbet in Pear Liquor

Very refreshing and delicious.  Sets us up for the dessert course of our meal very nicely.  My friend who's birthday we were celebrating actually remembered it from the first time we ate at 'Le Crocodile'.

Tiramisu

This was for the birthday girl.  I didn't get a chance to ask her how it was - I hope it was good!

Grand Mariner Souffle

The souffle was good but I prefer the souffle at Bigga at the Banks.  Not quite as light and fluffy.  

Crème Caramel

My friend who ordered this dessert did so because I recently made this for her.  She says mine tasted better.  hehehe.

Hazelnut Crepe

My friend who ordered this dessert seemed to like it except for the ice cream that accompanied it.  I can't remember why but for some reason he didn't like it and left it on the plate.

Overall I thought it was a great dining experience.  It's interesting how much more I appreciated the food there now that I'm a lot more educated in fine dining.  And I hope the birthday girl had a great meal too!

La Quercia

Some old friends emailed me and asked me if I'm interested in an 11 course Italian tasting meal. Yeah!  Is the sky blue?

Just a caveat with this food blog entry.  I had 4 hours sleep last night (darn the Summer heat!) so I can't remember the details of every course.  My food descriptions will probably be more brief then usual and I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.

Course 1: Antipasti

Antipasti

The antipasti course was interesting.  Thinly sliced, prosciutto, beef tongue, melon, olives, pickled vegetables.

Course 1 cont:

Shaved tenderloin, tuna pure, capers on crackers

Course 2: Mozzarella with cherry tomatoes

I really like this dish.  The mozzarella was home made I believe and is was super soft and creamy.  The tomatoes were very sweet with no hint of tartness at all.  I wonder what kind of tomatoes were they.

Course 3: Cheese Soufflé on zucchini capriccio

 

Course 4: Cured Salmon with saffron aioli.  Smoked salmon puree canopy.

Course 5: Sole

The fish was served at room temperature which surprised me.

Course 6: Mushroom Risotto

The server boasts that this is the best risotto in the city!  It was quite good with the texture more on the al dente side then I'm used to.  I think mushroom stock was used as the mushroom flavour permeated throughout the whole dish.

Course 7: Stuffed home made pasta with beet root tops in a buffalo butter sauce

I kept trying to figure out what's the difference between buffalo butter and normal butter but I couldn't detect a difference.


Course 8: Pasta with pork ragu

Course 9: T-bone steak

The steak was so think that it tasted more like a roast than a steak.  It was seasoned more than usually but I found it worked and I enjoyed it.

Course 9: T-bone steak side: sautéed mini yellow squash

Course 9: T-bone steak side: sautéed peas with rhubarb

Course 10: Alagio cheese with pine honey

The cheese was super strong and pungent.  The pine honey was wonderful though and offset the strong cheese perfectly.  I don't know what pine honey is but I'm guessing it's like maple syrup where it's from the sap of a pine tree.

 Course 11: Dessert

Flourless chocolate cake, some sort of cookie, lemon pana cotta.  I enjoyed the chocolate cake a lot. I've had flourless chocolate brownies before from my gluten free friends and I didn't really think much of it - but this flourless chocolate cake rocked.  It had little bits of hazelnuts that added texturally to it.  I've seen pana cottas a lot on food shows but never had a chance to had it myself.  Not bad.  It's basically flavoured cream set in gelatine.


Sorry that I couldn't describe each course better.  But I'm so tired!  Overall I enjoyed the food and also enjoyed the company of my old friends as well! Adding on a bottle of wine, a bottle of sparkling water, a cup of coffee and gratuity, the bill ended up being $97 per person.

Strawberry Syrup

My church had a summer picnic this past Sunday and I struggled a lot with what I wanted to bring.  So I decided to bring drinks!  But it's not my style to just bring some store bought pop.  I have to put my culinary spin into it.  So I made strawberry syrup, home made unsweetened lemonade, home made unsweetened iced tea, home made simple syrup along with store bought club soda.  The idea is that people can make strawberry soda by combining strawberry syrup and club soda, or strawberry freckled lemonade, or strawberry iced tea.  For the non-strawberry people the simple syrup was for them.

Strawberry syrup is actually really easy.  I saw it on a youtube video by Food Wishes' Chef John.

Take 2 lbs of fresh strawberries.

Then using a pairing knife cut out the green stems and quarter the strawberries.

In a pot with 2.5 cups of water dump in the strawberries and bring to a boil.  Then simmer on low for about 15-20 min.  Afterwards strain the strawberries out of the water.  You'll see most of the colour gone from the strawberries.  Dump in 2 cups of sugar, bring to a boil again, then simmer at medium for 5 min.

I then put the pot in a sink full of cold water to cool.

Then bottle up the syrup - yay you're done!























To make strawberry soda, fill a cup with about 1/3 of the way with the syrup and then fill the rest with club soda.  It's refreshing and delicious!