All I see is RED ESPRESSO

So when I was in South Africa summer of 2006 I became addicted to rooibos. In particular, there is one brand of rooibos which really stood out as having the cleanest, most complex flavor.

RED ESPRESSO.

Named the best new product of South Africa in 2006, this stuff is available NOW at Whole Foods. Get a bag and tell me you don't love it!!! And the best part of it is, it naturally contains NO CAFFEINE. Can you believe it?

Try it and let me know what you think. Treat it like a coffee substitute. Make espresso. Make cappuccini. Make latte.

Make love.

Wish you could have a sip. Oh wait, you CAN!

Foodsnob

Ciabatta 'N' Burrata

Sorry all my readers! I've been working incessantly for the past several months, but I am back with more snobbiness than ever!

Sometimes you just want a sandwich because you're just too lazy to cook, and other times you just want that perfect bite--a little bit of peppered salame, some burrata, some basil, some heirloom tomato...

This sandwich ain't easy to assemble. In fact, you have to really plan out your laziness. I don't know about you, but even I, Foodsnob, do not have burrata cheese in my fridge at all times. I've already written about a couple ways to enjoy this cheese, and so this is just one of the many ways.

For my sandwich craving, I toasted some ciabatta bread, rubbed it with garlic, then drizzled with my dwindling supply of Morgenster olive oil from Cape Town, South Africa. Then I layered heirloom tomatoes, peppered salame, basil and burrata, which I drizzled with more olive oil and gray salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

OK, so maybe this sandwich ain't for the lazy...maybe more for the crazy? In any case, it was mighty delicious, especially with a glass of Barolo wine. So next time you're too tired to cook, plan that a day ahead and make this fabulous sandwich!

Wish you could have a bite,
Foodsnob

Just a Thought

After waking up at 10:20 AM this morning only because of daylight savings time...eh hem...I had a hankering for blueberry muffins. An hour later, as I was sipping my oolong tea with a hint of jasmine (a gift I just received) I realized that the combination of the slightly acidic yet sweet blueberries were perfectly complimented by the delicate flowery notes of the tea.

And so I wondered, why aren't there more tea and food pairings in restaurants? I went to Providence on Sunday (more on that later) and by the end of the tasting menu I was already too tipsy to truly appreciate the chocolate cake with ganache, made from of course, Valrhona chocolate, and mushroom ice cream. Yes, I did indeed say mushroom ice cream. DIVINE. Served with port. I think it would've gone better with a delicate oolong, not that I'm complaining, right?

Boozehound.

Just a thought,
Foodsnob

Cobble Cobble

Blueberry cobbler, that is, only the best kind of cobbler in the WORLD because it combines one of my favorite foods--BISCUITS--with another one of my favorite foods--BLUEBERRIES (which I've written about many other times, as in blueberry pancakes and blueberry muffins. I just wish I could incorporate BACON into the recipe somehow...) I'm berries for blueberries, or "bluebs" as I like to call them. Rhymes with boobs. Or moobs (man boobies.) Call me immature.

Anyway, I wish I could lay claim to this particular recipe but I actually follow a real recipe from Baking Illustrated (not that my other recipes aren't REAL.) This just works extremely well and I love the added crunch from the corn meal, and the addition of vanilla. I never would've guessed to use vanilla in a biscuit topping. Luscious.

For biscuit topping...

Combine dry ingredients:

1 cup AP flour
2 T cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar

Wet ingredients:
1/3 cup buttermilk
4 T melted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla

Set aside.

BLUEBS:

6 cups bluebs
1/2 cup sugar, depending on the sweetness of the berries
1 T cornstarch
pinch salt
pinch cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp grated zest plus 1 T juice from lemon

Preheat oven to 375. Combine blueberries with the rest of the filling ingredients and place in ramekins or a 9-inch glass baking dish. I think the ramekins make a sexier dessert, with all the juices running over the side. Hot. Place in oven until blueberries are bubbling around the sides, about 25 minutes.

While blueberries are baking, mix the dry ingredients together. Combine the butter, buttermilk and vanilla and set aside. As soon as the berries are ready, combine the wet and dry ingredients until JUST mixed, and spoon or pinch over the berries.

Increase oven temp to 425 and bake until biscuit topping is golden, about 15 - 18 minutes. Cool for 20 minutes and serve with homemade French vanilla ice cream, or handwhipped cream. I bet a little mascarpone would be good as well...can't go wrong.

Wish you could have a sexy bite,
Foodsnob

If you want it then make it

I've gotta just face it. I'm getting older, and the metabolism is slowing down damn it. Plus, I'm not practicing martial arts twice a day and walking 5 miles like I used to. It's so tragic, really. Why am I being a whiny chick? My birthday just passed. Boo...er, it was actually amazing, as I was in Maui. I went scuba diving, saw humpback whales and sea turtles, and drank a lot of pina coladas. (Didn't really get drunk, though. For some reason none of them contained alcohol!)

However, the food was terrible! The best thing I ate was sashimi. Such a pity, because with all that fresh fish, you'd think they'd know how to grill a fish to perfection. I mean, why list the name of Joe the Fisherman who caught your Ahi this afternoon at 4 PM when you're going to drown the fish in soy sauce or smother it in a creamy oversalted sauce until it's inedible? For real.

I might have to say that fish and chips was one of the best meals I had. Can't go wrong with frying fish (and I wonder why I need to lose 10 lbs.) and serving them with chips. So, I've decided that this year, if I want something, I'm going to have to make it. Exempli gratia: POTATO CHIPS.

After the Super Bowl, where we gorged on pizza, chicken wings, club sandwiches, and chips, I've had a hankering for Kettle Chips. Oh man I hadn't had chips in AGES, so today for lunch I decided I should make steak sandwiches with caramelized onions and gorgonzola with fresh potato chips and continue that Super Bowl theme.

To make chips, you do need a mandoline, unless you want to spend a lot of time slicing those potatoes paper thin...I sorta just cut them and dropped them in oil, and when they were done I drained on paper towels and sprinkled with freshly ground sea salt and black pepper. Make sure you don't overcrowd your pan or else it'll drop the temperature of the oil (around 350). Divine. Crunchy and delicious(ly bad for you). Oh well, you only live once. Guess I'll never be a ninja.

I'd better go on that run...

Wish you could have a sea salty bite,
Foodsnob

Variations on a theme of lemongrass

Since I still have a billion stalks of lemongrass, I've been trying to think of ways to use it up. I just made some more lemongrass vodka for my 5 PM smart cocktail and rubbed some bruised lemongrass on my neck and wrists. I also just made some lemongrass hand and cuticle cream, so what else? What else?

While in Laos I never sampled the grilled fish stuffed with lemongrass for one reason or another, and while I sampled plenty of the $0.30 oh-so-cheap-and-delicious dark Beerlao, I always told myself I'd try the fish. I guess I was too drunk or something.

Anyway, tonight for dinner I made a one-pot meal consisting of whole rainbow trout stuffed with lemongrass stalks and asparagus. After preheating my broiler I patted the fish dry and seasoned the inside and outside of the fish with salt and pepper. Using the back of my knife I bruised the lemongrass and stuffed it in the fish. To prep the asparagus I just drizzled with some olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.

I hate hate hate cleaning, so I used aluminum foil to cover my baking pan. Six minutes per side and the flesh was perfect. I usually only broil asparagus for 7-9 minutes total but I was too lazy to add it later, hence the one-pot meal, or should I say one-baking pan meal. Still delicious, though!

Seriously, if you aren't squeamish about whole fish, try this one out let me know what you think. The fish is juicy with the most subtle hint of lemongrass. Takes me straight back to Laos...or what I think the fish would've tasted like had I actually been smart enough to eat it. It almost doesn't need the lime, but I love acid. Especially in the forest...what?

Wish you could have a bite and you should!
Foodsnob

Rainy weather, hot chocolate

Having lived in New York before heading to Los Angeles, I'm ashamed to say that I get cold when the weather dips below 80 degrees. However, it's a great excuse to drink plenty of hot liquids, especially during this rainy "season." I know a couple of people who don't enjoy hot drinks. That makes me sad, but then I'll make myself an earl grey latte and be happy again. Yippee!

So my brother asked me for a hot chocolate recipe, and because I change it up every time I wanted to make sure I could give him exact measurements. Here's how I made mine (the other day...). Who knows what today may bring?

1 cup milk (whole if you want to be super indulgent)
1/4 cup half & half
2 oz. freshly chopped dark chocolate, preferably 71% Valrhona
1 heaping T unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Valrhona or Scharffenberger
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 T sugar, or to taste
pinch of salt

Whisk together ingredients over low heat until melted and hot and delicious. Top off with freshly whipped cream and a sprig of mint. Or just drink it like I did, but don't burn your tongue (like I did.)

Wish you could have a cocoa-licious sip,
Foodsnob

LEMONGRASS: I can't get enough

First it was lemongrass deodorant, then lemongrass vodka, and now lemongrass beef? What next? (Probably lemongrass tea, which is SO hard to find, right? Guess I'll have to make it myself.)

Anyway, you think I'd be sick of Vietnamese food after eating it for a month straight...well, I guess I cheated a lot. Man, I was surprised by the pizza in Vietnam. Quite delicious, actually! A huge improvement over when I was there 6 years ago when "lasagna" was nothing more than slices of American cheddar cheese and a can of Campbell's tomato soup. But ANYWAY, lemongrass beef is one of the easiest dishes you can make.

Here's how I make it...but I don't really measure stuff out so here's an approximation:

3-4 T of minced lemongrass (use a Cuisinart...huge time and CTS saver)
3-4 cloves of minced garlic
2 T Hoison sauce
1 T fish sauce
freshly grated black pepper
3 T Canola oil
1/2 lb. of thinly sliced beef

serve over:
rice vermicelli, cooked al dente

serve with:
cucumbers
cilantro
Thai basil

fish sauce:
2 parts fish sauce
1 part lime juice
2 parts hot water
sugar to taste
Thai chile, sliced
1 clove of garlic, sliced

lime soda:
2 T simple syrup
2 T lime juice
ice
sparkling water

I used skirt steak this last time and it was amazingly delicious. Cut against the grain and you'll have the most tender beef ever. Placing it in the freezer for an hour also helps you maintain control over your slices.

Mix all ingredients. Saute in a hot hot dry skillet for just a few minutes until just done.

Serve over rice vermicelli noodles and drizzle with fish sauce. For the fish sauce, dissolve about 2 T of sugar per half cup of water. My fish sauce changes every time because I don't accurately measure, but it's always good :) Fresh lime juice, ALWAYS.

For the lime soda, same thing...equal part simple syrup to lime juice, ice, and sparkling water. Yummy. A popular Vietnamese drink accompaniment to this dish as well as pho, except for some reason, no one ever uses simple syrup so all the sugar settles on the bottom!!! Don't make this mistake, unless you want to be really authentic :)

You can probably find more accurate measurements, but I'm too lazy to measure stuff (unless I'm baking.) Enjoy!!!

Wish you could have a bite,
Foodsnob

THERE WILL BE BLOOD Orange Martinis

I remember when I was in Italy 8 years ago (wow) enjoying breakfast when an American voice boomed out, "Do you have REGULAR orange juice?" Oh my goodness I wanted to punch them in the freakin' face. Io non sono Americana...errr...Ich bin ein Berliner?

There's nothing more beautiful than the marbling of an arancia rosa. Che bella. And when you squeeze that juicy goodness into a martini, it's like drinking in the sunset in Sorrento. Or 3rd Beach in Cape Town. Or Angkor Wat. Or...you get the point.

Apparently today is the most depressing day of the year, so make yourself a martini!

Here's how I make mine:

2 parts vodka (plain or mandarin)
1 part Cointreau or Grand Marnier
1 part fresh lime juice (please none of the bottle stuff)
1 part fresh blood orange juice

Shake vigorously with ice and serve in chilled martini glasses. Or not. Garnish with zest of orange.

Wish you could have a sip,
Foodsnob

Happy New Year!

I'm back in America...thank goodness. Although I'm an extremely adventurous food eater, I am so glad to be back in my own kitchen cooking my own food. Eating out for 6 weeks isn't as glamorous as it sounds.

Pictured here is an evening picnic I enjoyed in Siem Reap, Cambodia. We ate every single part of the chicken...intestines wrapped around livers on a stick with the heart and the egg. Mmmm...???

Happy new year to everyone! Many blogs to follow I hope :) I feel like 2008 is going to be a good year for food.

Foodsnob

Valrhona Cake

I made a cake from 71% Valrhona chocolate. It was labor intensive. Here are some pics.

Wish you could have a room temperature bite with some port,
Foodsnob

Soup for the Soul

What do you do with a turkey carcass, 5 lbs of carrots, and fresh herbs? Duh, turkey soup...The great thing about roasting the turkey is that half the work is done for you, so it's just up to you not to f&#% it up!

I start with sweating a mirepoix in some olive oil, then add the carcass and whatever turkey trimmings didn't make it into my belly (reserving some meat for the finished soup), turnips, parsnips, parsley, thyme, whole black peppercorns, a couple goldfish, my cat if I had one, and of course some fresh water. (BTW, for the record I do not like cats, even though I had a couple for 2 years but not by choice. No offense cat lovers.)

Then I boil rapidly for a few minutes and skim off the impurities (scum), lower the heat and simmer in my 7 quart Le Creuset Dutch oven until I forget it's on the stove and exclaim, "OH S$%#!!!!" But by then my stock is perfect.

Strain into my 4 quart All Clad stock pot, add fresh veggies, thyme leaves and torn turkey meat and I'm in business, 10 hours later. Now that's soup for the soul.

Wish you could have a sip,
Foodsnob

I'm thankful...

Some pics from the festivities...

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I know I did!!!

Foodsnob

Blue and Blackberry Pie

So I'm hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year with the help of some family members and friends, but I'm making the turkey, stuffing, pie, and biscuits. Let's start with the pie...I know I have a picture of a berry pie here (because I had my berries in the freezer, of course), but I think I'm going to make the traditional deep dish apple pie. In my opinion it's all about the crust, and if you can't get the crust right you might as well just make an apple cobbler or fill a bucket with water and throw some apples in there for bobbing.

It's just like making biscuits, really, except your ingredients have to be F-CKING cold. Dice your butter and put in the freezer. Use a Cuisinart to coarsely chop the also frozen shortening and butter into the flour so as not to heat up the ingredients with your hands. Or if you don't own a Cuisinart use 2 knives or a pastry blender. And of course, when adding the ice water, DO NOT OVERMIX. Pulse, pulse, STOP. I promise you it'll come together, even though it may look like coarse sand.

In making this double crusted blueberry pie I added pulverized tapioca pearls to the blueberries to thicken the juices. It's nice because it doesn't add any noticeable flavor to the berries, like cornstarch or flour might. Try it and see, or use potato starch if you can find it!

Oh, and for my apple pie, just a little sugar, a couple pats of butter, a tiny bit of cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, allspice, lemon zest and juice and that's it. Let the apples speak for themselves, and let the crust do its thing.

Pics to follow on the big Day. Also, to brine or not to brine--that is the question...

Wish you could have a blueberry bite,
Foodsnob

Flied Lice

All right all right that's a little racist, but hey, everyone's a little bit racist sometimes... That's from one of my favorite musicals, Avenue Q, because it was named after me. Racist and egocentric. What more could you want?

You can make fried rice however your heart desires, from shrimp to pork to vegetarian to plain. The one thing I always do consistently, though, is how I cook the rice. If you go to a tepinyaki restaurant they usually cook the egg separately from the rice. What I like to do is stir the raw egg INTO the cooked rice. This way every grain stays fluffy, light and flavorful. With a searing hot wok I drizzle in a little canola oil then add my rice. Working quickly with a spatula, constantly work the rice until it is cooked, being mindful not to smash it against the wok. I like mine a little toasty. Sometimes I even add the canola oil into the rice with the egg. I also add Maggi sauce to the rice at this point to give it a little more flavor and color. You could use soy sauce as well.

I then cook all my vegetables separately from the rice so as not to make the rice soggy. Who likes soggy fried rice? Not the puppets from Avenue Q that's for sure...In Thailand they always serve fresh cucumbers on the side, so I've started doing that as well. They provide a cool, crunchy contrast to the dish. Finally, no chopsticks. Did you know that they use forks and spoons in Thailand?

Enjoy. Don't burn yourself, especially if you have a stove that goes up to 17,000 BTU like mine. I love it.

Wish you could have a bite,
Foodsnob

Oh Snap!!!

So I'm back from Iowa, where I made friends with the kind folks at the Twisted Chicken and McGregor Coffee Roasters--catering and crafty on the show we just wrapped. Among my favorite snacks were the snappy yet chewy ginger snap cookies Diana made us. Holy crap they're amazing...

Just because they're called "snaps" doesn't mean they should be rock hard, the way they usually come in those brown bags at the general store. You know, the general store on the corner that sells everything from leather cleaner to cowboy hats to eggs? Do you think the snap refers to a "snap of the tooth?" Regardless, these cookies are awesome and you should make them for all your friends until they turn into unfiltered molasses.

So here's the recipe.

3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses (I use the unfiltered kind...dark and nasty baby)
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1/2 tsp salt (although I used a little more in one batch and it was DELICIOUS)

Cream together shortening and sugar. Add egg and molasses and beat well. Sift together dry ingredients and stir into the wet mixture. Refrigerate until chilled. Form 1 inch balls, roll in sugar, and flatten them out onto a baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Thus begins the addiction.

Chewy, moist, delicious. It's like Christmas all year round. Enjoy!

Wish you could have a gingery soft bite,
Foodsnob

Oh Wisconsin!

Ah Wisconsin! Oooh Wisconsin Cheese!!!! Remember that jingle?

So I'm in McGregor, Iowa right now for a month and as quaint as it is, there's no major grocery store. So...we have to go across the border to Wisconsin to get our groceries, and when in Wisconsin...well, you know the rest.

I won't be blogging much, as I will be "working", but I will post pics from my iPhone, as I am doing now. They're not Foodsnob-worthy, but it's either that or nothing for all you loyal fans (i.e. Lillian and Sam, and sometimes Michelle).

I got some nice Wisconsin, Extra Sharp, 2-year Aged Cheddar...YUM.

Wish you could have a bite,
Foodsnob

Lunch: Halibut and Squash

When your fishmonger recommends the halibut, you get the halibut. When he tells you creepy jokes about women, graveyards and meatballs you listen. You do whatever it takes to make him happy because he is your best friend. And I mean it...I'd do anything for love, but I won't do THAT.

So for lunch earlier I made pan-seared halibut and sauteed squash with thyme. So simple. When the halibut is that fresh, or any fish for that matter, I like to season with just a sprinkle of sea salt and black pepper. And of course to get that beautiful golden crust, DON'T TOUCH IT as it sizzles away (in a little olive oil and butter.) Bad touch, bad touch! A couple minutes per side and you've got yourself a healthy meal.

Hot and simple, sort of like myself...I kid, I kid...

Wish you could have a bite,
Foodsnob

Everyone say Mac 'N' Cheese!!

Those poor kids on Kid Nation...if only someone there knew how to cook, their pasta wouldn't be so mushy! Didn't they know the water should come to a rolling boil before you add the macaroni? Sehr traurig, ja.

I LOVE CHEESE. I love it almost as much as I love bacon, and you know I love bacon. I think the beauty of mac 'n' cheese is that you can put ANY cheese you want into your meal...it might not always work so nicely, but at least it's your own creation.

I make my mac 'n' cheese with penne pasta, cooked a minute under al dente, and then let it finish cooking in the oven. I find the ridges in the penne really hold the sauce nicely. Starting with a basic bechamel sauce (more on that later...should the milk be hot or cold you might ask?), I added grated fontina, gruyere, and white aged cheddar on this particular occassion because I could, or maybe that's what happened to be in my fridge. Oh, and I like to add a teensy dollop of whole grain and dijon mustards. Then a little bit of the pasta water to loosen up the cheese and we're cookin'! I find that toastin' Panko bread crumbs in butter before topping off the dish really adds a deeper golden crust, and I love me some crispy crust set against a creamy backdrop of cheesy goodness. I suppose you could add cream if you wanted, but why the extra calories? A little time in the oven and the house is sure smellin' good.

Mmm mmm mmm...A simple salad dressed with Morgenster cold extracted olive oil from the Stellenbosch region of South Africa and some balsamic fig vinegar from upstate California and you've got yourself a complete meal! Oh, and don't forget the vino. This time--an Amarone della Valpolicella.

Wish you could have a creamy but also crunchy bite,
Foodsnob

Pancakes

Apologies for being absent. I was up in Copperopolis. I kid thee not. There is a town about 2 hours east of San Francisco and it's called Copperopolis. No lie. Anyway, I was there for a whole week enjoying the 110 degree weather, the lake with the dead bodies in it, and being the only non-Caucasian person there.

Anyway, back to the topic of food--I made blueberry pancakes for breakfast recently and forgot how delicious blueberries are with maple syrup and pancakes. Usually I opt for strawberries, but thanks to all the frozen berries in my freezer, I was feeling a little blue that morning. A quick warming through of the frozen berries with some vanilla sugar and a touch of Canadian maple syrup and I was in business.

For the pancakes themselves, here is a recipe I've committed to memory for as long as I can remember...

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp sugar
pinch of salt
2 eggs, separated
1/2 cup buttermilk

Mix together dry ingredients. Add the buttermilk to the yolks. Whip the whites until stiff but not dry. Mix dry ingredients with buttermilk mixture until just combined. Fold in the whites. It's OK if it's not fully combined. The less combined the more ethereal and fluffy your pancakes! Cook your pancakes in some butter. Mine usually end up being about only 3 inches in diameter. Cute and delicious.

Please don't buy that prepackaged pancake mix. If you LOVE pancakes, you can place all the dry ingredients in a tupperware and just shake before use, but none of that boxed stuff...I beg of you!

Wish you could have a bite,
Foodsnob