French Macaroons !! San Francisco !!

Hello !! I've been a little busy these past few days but I am so excited to announce that after 3 tries I finally got my Macaroons to work ! ( im not a baker so this is a major accomplishment for me )

I've been very very obsessed with these little heavenly creations ever since we threw a party for our residents 

so I decided to do them after stuffing my face with a few of them *O*

I did a very basic recipe that I followed from a fellow blogger Tartelette 

she has very easy to follow Macaroon recipes so check them out ^_^ 

For my Macaroons 

I cried

I got irritated

I felt like giving up

 I also felt like wanting to kill a few of my co-workers ( They kept eating them with out being finished! )

but then one day the key was just to follow the recipe and shut up. 

All the recipes I had found where in grams 

I don't know how to work well with grams so I converted them to ounces

this was a big NO NO and part of why my Macaroons kept failing

but when I followed Tartelette's recipe 

everything turned out well !! 

they had cute little footsies 

and beautiful color !

the only thing that I did change was the Temp for the oven

 because the one at work is way to hot !

 Also for the filling I decided to keep it simple 

I did a basic Creme Caramel filling

something I just rather threw together from things we had in the kitchen

Here is the Recipe for the filling *__*

3 oz Smuckers Caramel sauce

4 oz Mascarpone cheese 

1. combine the caramel and the cheese in a small bowl

2. put in a pipping bag with a round tip and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using

How easy was that ?!

very easy ! and who doesn't like Caramel ? haha 

I am also traveling to San Francisco to visit a friend of mine ! also to do lots and lots of shopping and to eat their wonderful food *O* 

P.S. Here is a picture of my little Creme Caramel Macaroons !

Until next time ^____^  Happy Cooking !

Miami , Life and California

Hello !!

it has been such a long time since I have last written here !

things are going great here in Miami! 

I now work in a beautiful restaurant located right in the middle of the Miami scene

the menu is almost as beautiful as the view !!

I have still not given up my dreams on one day moving over seas and sharing my culinary skills

I have a dear feeling that this will come true soon. 

with happiness and success also comes a great deal of sacrifice, I have learnt this the hard way in Miami T_T 

after being accepted to do a short term externship in a prestigious restaurant in San Francisco , CA 

at Cory Lee's restaurant Benu ( my dream come true !!! *o* ) 

I must now back down :(  T____T 

but I have no fear since the restaurant and California will not disappear any time soon

and what does not kill me only makes me stronger ! ( although it does hurt a lot T__T )

I will continue to better my skills in the baking department and the creative fusion department also

while im here in Miami. It's a beautiful city , with beautiful people and such a beautiful scene. 

but I can not wait til I can call San Francisco some day my home :) where my taste buds can finally enjoy in full bliss everything that city has to offer ! 

and after San Francisco hopefully home will be somewhere in Asia ( hint hint ;] ) 

as for now I leave you lovely blog with this picture of my new home !

:)

Annyong !!!! 

my lovely restaurant is so pretty :)

Goat cheese truffles !!

Happy new year !!! I'm starting my new years with some new recipes that are sure to please new taste buds ^^
I was browsing through a Food forum and found this yummy recipe !! I made some changes to suit my taste but not much still keeping the integrity of the ingredients.

Goat Cheese truffles
6 oz goat cheese
6 oz semi sweet chocolate
1 oz maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
* you can even add spice to these truffles by adding 1 tsp of cayenne depending on your taste ! *

1. melt the chocolate in a double broiler or the microwave . ( just make sure the chocolate does not burn)
2. add the goat cheese , maple syrup, and cinnamon to the chocolate and mix through.
3. chill until the mixture is stiff and pliable. then roll into half an inch little balls and  finish it up by rolling it in cocoa powder .

simple , easy and very yummy treats that every one can enjoy :)

Nice ending to summer

Ah it has been such a long time since i have posted !!!
These past few weeks have been really full of surprises !
In my last class Restaurant Rotation , We as a class  had the honor of having a one on one with Certified world known Chef Ferdinand Metz... let me say it was the best experience i have ever had in my culinary life !!
At first none of us were thrilled because we thought he would be arrogant and full of him self like our Restaurant Rotation class Chef  " yea yea yea " Wessman. but to our surprise when he arrived he was the most humble and relaxed guy we have ever met !!! it was an honor to have him by our side and teach us how to make many dishes with corn.
the menu was as follows :
Corn fritters ( NEVER FRY !!!)
Fresh corn polenta
Corn wontons
Corn dip
Corn chowder ( NEVER USE FLOUR)
He took over my friend's station and was showing her how to make the corn base for all of these dishes when Chef " yea yea yea " interrupted and tried to kiss major ass ( excuse my french ) by taking over her station and being by his side doing everything he said like a puppy. It was annoying until Chef Ferdinand basically put him in his place by saying " No you did it wrong ,do it again" haha. Oh we very much enjoyed that and had a good laugh at it. Chef " yea yea yea" then left and we returned to our normal selves.
I believe that what made us fall in love with Chef Ferdinand is that he was just the coolest nicest humble person... he let us know he was human like us too aside from his famous title.
We all stood in a line in our best behavior and watched and did as he said , he assigned us to do little things to help around , instead of taking over and doing everything by him self ( as you would see in TV shows)
I helped with the wontons , while a class mate cooked them and sauteed them, of course 6 at a time like he said because you dont want the pan to be over crowded. :)
one of the highlights of the night was the corn fritters... which were far from corn fritters. He refused to fry it in Chef's yea yea yea deep fryer that he went out and bought with his own money -__- need i say  more ? (kiss ass) -cough-
 instead  he pan fried it. the first one he tried it did not hold so it ended up falling apart, so he did another one and it stayed together. we were all shocked to see that he made a mistake when his fritter fell apart ! it let us know he was human ! we were relaxed at the sight of that. he then made use taste both  and compare and contrast the flavor... the one which fell apart had more flavor because of the butter he kept putting in to save it, plus it was more golden in color which adds to the flavor elements.

Another interesting thing was when he made the corn chowder. to our surprise he used no roux at all. he said roux and flour does not belong in chowder ! we listened and tasted and it was still a yummy chowder with out the thickening agent.  one of the most important things he said that night was " read the labels always read the label " and to make sure to use the freshest ingredients " which not surprisingly a lot of people don't ..a sad truth. he reminded us a lot of our favorite Chef, Chef Williams. He use to scold us and say the same things he said. it made us feel comfy for a second. All in all i really enjoyed and will never forget this experience. it was the best time of my life !!!!!

p.s. It was cool when he recognized us the next day while serving his wine :) 

finished Vegan menu

Korean Pinoy Vegan Diet

Roasted pumpkin Juk - pureed sweet and savory roasted pumpkin porridge, with sweet rice beet dumplings and black beans.

Vegan Japchae-  tamari tossed  Korean cellophane noodles with sauteed shiitake, peppers, onions, carrots and spinach. topped with sesame seeds.

Mochiko bibingka - Filipino coconut rice cake topped with sweet toasted niyog



veganism is the practice of eliminating the use of  all animal products . there is three types of mainstream veganisms which choose this life style for different reasons, not necessarily all concerning health or humane practices.   there are dietary vegans who eliminate all animal products from their diet only. then there is ethical vegans who reject all animal products from their lives for any purpose. and lastly there is environmental veganism, they reject the use of animal products because the practice is unsustainable and environmentally damaging.

the term vegan means " non dairy vegetarian" , the word originated in England in 1944. the earliest trace of veganism is traced to the greek philosopher Pythogarus 6 th century,  who warned that eating animals might involve eating a human soul. he was a strong believer in transmigration of souls , there for he argued that humans should regard all living things as kindred souls.

any plant based dish is considered vegan. plant cream and plant milk is widely use in vegan cuisine such as almond milk , coconut milk and soy milk and cashew cream. there is also mock meats made of gluten or soy which are becoming more and more widely available. Nutritional yeast is also used in place of regular cheese. the development of all of these new foods is allowing vegans all over to feel more included in society with all of the replacements that are becoming more and more widely available, instead of feeling like an outcast or settling for a plate of vegetables. each year more and more people are converting into Veganism, Veganism is not a trend as many people used to label it years ago , it is showing that it is a life style that is rapidly growing.


"International Vegetarian Union - The Origins of Some Words." Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. Web. 14 Sept. 2011. <http://web.archive.org/web/20080630114643/http://www.ivu.org/history/renaissance/words.html>.


"Vegan Diets Becoming More Popular, More Mainstream - Vegsource.com." Vegsource - Your Source for All Things Vegan and Vegetarian. Web. 14 Sept. 2011. <http://www.vegsource.com/news/2011/01/vegan-diets-becoming-more-popular-more-mainstream.html>


"Veganism." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 14 Sept. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veganism>

Special Diet menu project - Vegan edition- Korean/ Filipino edition menu

 Starters - pumpkin Juk

2-3 lb butternut squash or pumpkin 

1/2 cup of fair trade sugar ( not processed through chared cow bones)

2/3 cup of mochiko rice flour

2 tbsp agave syrup

4 tbsp of finely shreded red beet ( and the juice it expels ) 

4 tbsp of water or as needed

1 can black beans 

1/3 fair trade brown sugar

1/2 water or as needed 

cut the pumpkin or the butternut squash in half , remove the seeds, wrap in foil and bake in a 350 oven. 

while the pumpkin is in the oven in a small sauce pan combine the black beans, brown sugar, and water. bring to a simmer for 10 minutes until reduced slightly or until sugar is dissolved, liquid should have a nape consistency. 

in a bowl combine the finely shredded beets, the mochiko flour, agave syrup , and water. knead the dough for 2-3 minutes until all is combined. make balls small enough to fit into a spoon and set aside until needed.

when the pumpkin is done, let it cool and scoop into a blender. blend on high until smooth. place back into a sauce pan and heat thoroughly. bring to a low simmer , then add the rice balls. cook for 10-15 minutes. 

when plating place 4 tbsp of the black bean mixture on the bottom of the bowl and decorate with 4 black beans and a drizzle of the black bean liquid. 

Entree. 

Vegan Japchae 

2 tbsp minced garlic

1/2 tamari sauce ( or soy sauce ) 

1 1/2 tbsp fair trade white sugar

2 tbsp sesame seeds

2 hand fulls of spinach 

1 cup of julienne shiitake mushrooms 

1 cup julienne carrots 

1 cup julienne red bell peppers ( or sweet peppers) 

1 cup sicilee onions 

1 hand full of cellophane noodles 

in a pot of boiling water , blanch the spinach until slightly wilted and until a bright green color is a achieved. 

then quickly shock in a ice bath. squeeze and drain all of the water from the spinach. 

in a bowl place the spinach , peppers, onions, carrots, and mushrooms. add 3 tbsp of the tamari or soy sauce 4 tbsp of sugar and mix well. let it sit and marinate until noodles are cooked. 

in a pot of boiling water add the cellophane noodles and cook until al dente . 

in a separate bowl toss the cellophane noodles with  4 tbsp of soy sauce or tamari  and sugar and 1 tbsp of sesame oil, until well coated . the noodles should be shiny at this point. 

in a hot wok or pan add enough canola oil to coat the bottom. when hot add the marinated vegetables and sautee for 2-4 minutes until tender , the vegetables should still have a bite to it. then add the cellophane noodles and sautee for another 2 minutes. immediately serve and sprinkle with sesame seeds. 

Dessert 

Mochiko Bibingka 

• 1 Box (16 oz) Mochiko rice flour
• 1 Cup  fair trade White Granulated sugarshopping list
• 1 Cup fair trade brown sugar (or another cup of white sugar)
• 2 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 Cup (1 stick) Unsweetened earth balance butter (softened)
• 18 tbsp soy yogurt or 6 " vegan eggs" 
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 Cup coconut milk

---

• Preheat oven to 350° F.
• Cream the butter and sugar together well
• Mix eggs / yogurt . 
• Mix in the rest of the ingredients.
• If you are not using banana leaves, grease or spray the pan with oil .
• Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown or tooth pick comes out clean when inserted to the middle of the cake. 

special thank you to aeriskitchen and emochef for the original recipies !! ( i just edited parts and made them vegan)

Takoyaki Sauce Recipe

I have been on an endless quest to make Takoyaki Sauce from scratch since we don't have any convenience store that carries it here. (not even the Asian stores)
so after much research I only found one...and only one recipe T___T but I will try it once i get the Mirin.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup catsup (ketchup)
1/2 cup worchershire
1/2 cup sake
2 tablespoons ginger
2 tablespoons garlic
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup mirin

Put all above ingredients in sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat stirring occasionally.
Reduce to a simmer for 25-30 minutes skimming any foam that rises to the top. Will keep refrigerated for 4
weeks.


Sounds like any other typical Asian sauce.. I might make some changes to it... depending if it doesnt change color.. I have seen that Takoyaki sauce is dark ? so maybe it will caramelize and if it doesn't I might add some soysauce... but other than that I will be trying this soon !