Category Archives: posts by j

mapo tofu

attempting mapo tofu tonight…

sichuan peppercorns

the finished product was way more exciting to make than it was to eat. the dish was imbalanced. it was a bit too salty. it needed a tiny bit of sugar/sweetness. i sprinkled the sichuan peppercorn on top and it was wayyyyyyy too much. besides the fact that my tongue was vibrating in a most uncomfortable manner, the flavor of the pepper was overwhelming and i became nauseated. i’m better now and i will try again but this experience is a very good example of learning by making mistakes. when you succeed, you aren’t exactly sure what was successful; i know exactly what i should do differently next time i make mapo tofu.

Fat


Trying to use up Thanksgiving’s heavy whipping cream. I forget how decadent and delicious cream is. 

leftovers

green beans. vegetable gratin. quinoa. sockeye salmon. creamy peppercorn dressing from penzeys. weirdly delicious despite the hodge podge of crap. 

winter

i regret cursing the rain earlier this week. i love winter. there is a glow to the sky during winter. the angle of the sun blinds me in both the morning and at night. the sky turns deep ultramarine just as the lights of the city begin to illuminate. today, winter brought a brisk chilly wind and the sun struck the clouds and the palm trees with a direct yellow sidelong glance. it felt like rain but it didn’t give it up. i promised myself i’d start taking photos again.

winter palm tree at sunset

chestnut bread #1

Chestnut Sourdough Bread

after buying chestnut flour from Bay Cities (which is surprisingly cheaper than buying in bulk from Amazon), i baked my first chestnut loaf using this recipe. i had all of the ingredients (except for the whole, peeled chestnuts) and the procedure was very similar to my usual sourdough bread. n.b., i halved the recipe – just in case it tasted terrible, i didn’t want to waste flour.

important note: do not use the seasoned Lodge cast iron for steaming purposes. the cold water thrown into the 500 degree pan stripped the seasoning. we have since reformed the seasoning layer but wow, not worth it.

thanksgiving 2016

This year, we fried a 19-pound turkey and the house is still standing.

fried turkey

thanksgiving dinner

macaroni & cheese with Tillamook and Hook’s 10-year cheddar; classic dressing; butternut squash salad; cranberry sauce; jacques pepin vegetable gratin (and carrot caramel that accompanied the carrot soup – the caramel was *money*)

We attempted a dry run on a turkey breast on the 17th and i thought it was amazing:

fried turkey breast

There is always a Thanksgiving disaster but this one happened days after: despite my previous success draining the fryer, I made a complete mess of it this year in the house and drenched quite a few of our cookbooks with used peanut oil containing bits of turkey. The victims: all 5 Cook’s Illustrated books, Chinese encyclopedia, Paula Wolfert, and Jacques Pepin (dust jacket facing the oil so no damage). I even premeditated on how it would drain from the spout – I think that’s why Jacques was safe. If I had just left the books dust jacket side out, I would’ve been fine. And note to self: baking soda will sop up the oil and keep the place from smelling like turkey oil into the next century.

Here is the most well-traveled piece of cake (courtesy of mp and ss):

almond cake

almond cake in Thailand

here are the photos of the first attempt at Valerie’s Upside Down Almond Cake. I originally made it with Pink Lady apples, but ended up using Pippin apples. Simply divine. I ate cake for a week before Thanksgiving and for a few days after…

Howlin rays

I stood in line for 1 hour and 45 minutes for this: 


Get the hot or extra hot. The medium is for weenies. 

n/naka in october

i used resy again to get a last minute reservation. this time we got a hug. n/naka is still amazing but with hrj at the table, i was distracted and my notes aren’t as comprehensive as usual. and we didn’t start eating until 9pm. how do people eat so late?