The Debut

Hello readers! It’s been a while, I know. My winter break is over, and the whole school thing is up and running again. And despite what you may think of my rather idle blog-habits, I’ve kept busy. My semester officially started last Tuesday Jan. 20th, but it didn’t seriously register until about yesterday. And why, you may ask? Well, it is because my mind was preoccupied with planning MY FIRST CATERING GIG. So here it is! The Debut of my life in food! A good friend asked me to cater her dance group’s first birthday [MAINSTACKS], so of course I said yes, and of course I threw all of myself into it, and of course I was exhausted, and of course I had the BEST TEAM helping me [someoneiknow, FairyGodMother, Duy, Shirley, Nhi, Kari, mother] and despite it being my FIRST event, all in all – it turned out pretty well. Thank you all soooooo much!!!

MainStacks is so HOTT.

They worked that runway so hard, it ripped.

Yeah, I bought vases. I bought fake snow. I spent hours chopping branches for those vases. I bought runway fabric. I bought ribbon and serving ware and candles. It’s all evident. But what these pictures don’t capture… I bought 9 tubs of mascarpone. I bought $40 worth of cheese. I bought 10 pounds of fettucine. I went through 4 pound blocks of butter. I peeled, chopped and mashed 35 pounds of large russet potatoes. I subsisted on minimal sleep and maximum stress. I probably drove my roommates mad with the mess in the kitchen. But it all was worth it, because in the end… The food was delicious; the presentation commendable; and for the most part, it was a great debut.

Here is the Italian menu that my friend chose for her 30 dancers. You have NO IDEA how much food these dancers can scarf down. It is ridiculous. I had to plan enough for 60. Recipes will be posted shortly.

Main Stacks Dinner Menu

STARTERS
Roasted Bell Pepper & Homemade Pesto Crostinis
Potato Leek Soup w/ Rustic Italian Bread

ENTREES
Anh’s Secret Chicken Parmagiana & Marinara w/ Buttered Fettucine
or
Eggplant Parmagiana & Marinara w/ Buttered Fettucine

SIDES
Tomato, Parmigiano-Reggiano & Basil Salad
Crispy Oven Roasted Garlic and Herb Potatoes

DESSERTS
Italian Tiramisu with Homemade Ladyfingers
Espresso Brownies

I am shamelessly advertising here (heck, it’s my blog, I can do what I want), but if you EVER need party trays (sweet or savory) or have a small, intimate event coming up, give me a call, and maybe we can work something out. As an amateur, I’m fairly low budget, but the quality is all there, I guarantee it (I feel like that guy from the Men’s Wearhouse). Like I said, recipes will be posted soon, but alas, that is all the time I have for today. Until next time food lovers when you join me on my next food episode!

l.o.v.e.
AnhD

PS. In case you cared, things to look forward to:
Baked goods for my PH116 class – Tonight.
Jimmy Needs Me to Knead Bread with Him – Wed.
La Farine Fruit Tart Binge w/ Miss Piggy – Wed.
Dine About Town w/ my beautiful date Nicole – Thur.
The Family Tet Party – Sun.

The Potato Facelift

You probably don’t need me to remind you that just a few months of fiscal impoverishment and economic decline have completely wiped out the previous 6 years of prosperity and high profit margins. Some 10 million people are jobless. What once were stable middle income families are now supported by single income stilts. Foreclosures in California are a dime a dozen – literally. That cute $900,000 cul-de-sac won’t even sell at $400,000 now. And as a result, many of us have had to re-adjust our lifestyles. Christmas Shopping this winter should be more accurately rechristened Christmas Window Shopping. Las Vegas and NYC hotels were vacant for New Year’s Eve. Heck, Vogue recently did a spread on the charms of shopping at Walmart and Target. Even big New York socialites and designers are learning to downsize – NYC’s premiere event designer David Monn recently did a dinner party featuring – not lobster tail or abalone, not foie gras or kobe steak, but rather – the humble potato as the grand entrée. A lot of us are learning to adapt to our new economic situation, and it looks like the modest potato is getting a 2009 makeover.

But readers, don’t be so sullen. Don’t let my economic fly-by dampen the mood. I mean, yeah, life can suck right now with pecuniary woes and financial ruts. But like all things, it is darkest before the dawn, and pretty soon, things will start to look up again. And just because it’s not the glory days of the dotcom revolution or the housing boom earlier in the decade, doesn’t mean we can’t eat well. You’d be surprised to find that the potato is surprisingly filling and really easy to cook. A good starchy and versatile spud like the Russett is yummy and amazingly light on the wallet (10 lbs at Costco for a few dollars). If you get bored, a nice red potato is great for roasting in garlic and herbs. Here are a few recipes to keep you warm and satisfied while we all weather out this tough winter together.

Potato and Leek Soup
In particular, Potato Leek Soup is perfect for those cold winter nights, and can be a standalone meal, not just a starter. After reading Emeril’s, Alton’s and Robert’s recipes, I decided to take bits and pieces and warp it to make my own recipe. It is super easy, and you can adjust any of the ingredients to your own tastes. I promise you won’t be disappointed. Throw in some toasted crunchy bread (rustic Italian, crusty baguette, even doughy SF sourdough), and you are all set for some good eats. Recipe serves 4.

Ingredients
3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large leek, hairs trimmed off
1 stalk celery, diced 1/4″ wide
2 dried bay leaves
15 peppercorns
45 oz (3 cans) chicken stock
2 tbs butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup milk
salt and pepper
1 tbs melted butter
2-5 tbs flour

Directions

Trim the green portions off the leek and use the 2 largest and longest leaves, make a bouquet garni by folding the 2 leaves around the bay leaves and peppercorns. Tie into a package-shaped bundle with kitchen twine and set aside. Or, if you have cheesecloth, these can all be placed in a cheesecloth.

With the white ends of the leek, halve then quarter, then julienne into 1/4″ thick pieces.

In a large soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter and let brown a little before adding chopped celery and leeks. Allow the veggies to sweat and soften up. Once soft, pour in chicken stock, add the bouquet garni and bring to a boil. Add diced potatoes. These should be fairly small pieces as it will cook faster and be easier to mash in the event you don’t have a food processor handy.

Cook at medium-low heat until the potatoes are nice and tender, and the broth is flavorful. Bring down to a simmer. If you don’t have a food processor, use a masher or even a large wooden spoon to carefully press the potatoes against the sides of the pot. If you do own a food processor or emulsion blender (lucky you), hold off on this step until everything is done cooking.

In a separate bowl, combine melted butter and flour to make roux. This will help thicken the soup.

Once the potatoes are cooked, add milk, heavy cream and a tablespoon of the roux. Season with salt to taste. Continue to smash the potatoes until you reach your desired consistency. Whisk in more roux if you find that your soup is not thick enough. I like a thick and chunky soup, so that when it cools, I can eat it like mashed potatoes. But if you like a runny soup for the bread to sop up, go ahead and puree the soup in a food processor or blender. This can be served immediately, or can be served cold. It’s just as amazing cold. Enjoy!

Need other ideas for potato recipes? I’ll put up more as I go, such as Hacienda Fries à la Rockridge Cafe or my mom’s Stir-fry Beef over a bed of Watercress and Potatoes – to die for! Until then, here are a few external links that may tickle your palate:

Scalloped Potatoes with Fresh Herbs
Greecian Potato Salad
Mushroom Potato Gratin
Mini Baked Potatoes with Mascarpone and Prosciutto Bits
Twice Baked Potato
Broccoli and Cheddar Stuffed Potato Skins
Double Stuffed Potatoes

So I hope these comforting potato dishes will help cheer up your economic blues.

I’m gonna smile cause I deserve to
It’ll all get better in time

AnhD

Cracking the Crustacean Code

Welcome back foodies from a loong hiatus. I’ve been slightly preoccupied with the holidays – shopping, baking, cooking, working (yes, even during the holidays), spending time with loved ones, etc. Despite the lack of school, I still feel like there is soo much to do, and just so little time to do everything. And even after the holidays are over and the new year has rolled in, the work just never seems to end. So, even during Winter Break, I still need a real break from it all. And to do that, I’ve started a little annual tradition of attending the San Francisco Ballet’s performance of The Nutcracker.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s only my second time, but I’m hopeful that there will be more to come. To round off the tradition, I end the night at Crustacean, a well-known Vietnamese fusion restaurant in San Francisco famed for its garlic noodles and ultra-secret seafood menu. There are stories about this place. Like how only family members can enter the secret kitchen and how the recipes are kept in a vault. Finished plates of garlic noodles and crab and lobster are handed directly to the servers through little slits in the walls from the main kitchen. I’m telling you, the stories circulating this place are ridiculous. And of course, you have to wonder why… well, it’s because the food is pretty darn amazing. Sooo amazing that there are hundreds and thousands of threads on the web dedicated to cracking the recipes to Crustacean’s menu. Do a google search and see for yourself. You will be amazed. So like those thousands of people, I tried my hand at cracking the Crustacean Code. Mission Target: Garlic Noodles.

Garlic Noodles
Please note that amounts are approximates.

Ingredients
6 oz. spaghetti pasta
sesame oil
10 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup butter
1 tbs white wine
3 tbs Maggi Seasoning Sauce
1 tsp sugar

Directions
Bring water in large pot to a boil, add spaghetti noodles and dash of salt, lower heat to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes or until the noodles are slightly softer than al dente. In the last few minutes on the stove, add a few drops of sesame oil for flavoring and to prevent the noodles from sticking to each other. Once cooked, drain the noodles into a colander, set aside, and reserve 1 cup of the pasta liquid in the pot. Do not run the noodles under water.

With the 1 cup of pasta liquid, return to stove and let simmer. Add a splash of white wine (sherry is good), and several tablespoon dashes of Maggi Seasoning Sauce. Continue to let simmer. You will find that the liquid will thicken up, but if it doesn’t, add just a sprinkle of cornstarch. Remove from heat, set aside.

In a different sauce pan, melt the butter and allow to brown over medium-low heat. Lower heat and add the minced garlic. Do not let the garlic burn. Rather, you want the garlic to sweat and release all the flavor into the butter. Once the garlic is soft and the butter has been infused with the garlic flavor (you will SMELL it), add the pasta-Maggi-wine liquid right into the garlic butter and continue to let simmer and reduce a bit. Taste test and season with salt/sugar as needed. I also added in several dashes of chili powder because I like the kick. Turn off the heat, but keep the pan on the stove. Toss the spaghetti noodles right into the sauce pan, and coat the noodles with the liquid. You can also add in more fresh garlic at this stage if you want a REALLY intense garlic flavor. I also added another tablespoon of butter and I let it melt over the noodles. Plate and enjoy!

I found that my noodles were radically different from the Crustacean noodles. There was just something missing – somewhere I read that Crustacean actually uses a bit of Parmesan cheese too. But either way, my creation was quite delicious, and I finished the whole thing in one sitting. It is great stand alone, but can be served alongside grilled shrimp or sautéed tamarind crab or buttered lobster – whatever your heart desires. For more ideas, check out the Crustacean menu – maybe it will inspire you to try and crack their secret menu. Let me know how your attempts go my friend.

From my (secret) kitchen to yours.
AnhD