Cutting Boards

One typical day at work, my co-worker Mike mumbled something about making cutting boards in his wood shop class. My ears perked up and asked if it would be possible for him to make one for me! To have someone, especially a good friend, design a custom cutting board is a Chef’s dream come true! We studied on which wood would be best for a sturdy cutting board. Then discussed end grains, non end grains, double-sided, etc, etc. He also attempted to explain how he was going to actually construct the board. Yes, I am a visually learner so that was difficult! A few days later, we went to buy at a place specializing in all varietals of wood/lumber.

For your information, the best woods for cutting boards are Maple, Walnut, or Cherry. We also looked into exotic wood like Blood, Teak, Zebra, but after some calculations; it turned out to be very costly. After all, I hadn’t seen Mike’s work yet so to trust him with such expensive material!?! (Sorry Mike:) I finally agreed on Cherry wood. Mike picked out a 5 ft tall piece of what seemed to be resemble a 4X4 piece of plank! How on earth was he going to make a cutting boarding with that?

I was completely wrong about Mike’s abilities and he presented me with his specially designed, handcrafted masterpiece. He is in the process of putting mineral oil on it for the next 7 days but it is beautiful. I cannot wait to take it home and even toyed with lugging the 10 lb board to cooking gigs all over Southern California. Thank you Mike for your work in which I will cherish forever.

Ghetto Gourmet!

I am always looking for new restaurants and food clubs to get involved in. As you well know, Food blogs are quite popular these days and while researching the web one day, I found out about the ‘Ghetto Gourmet.’ To summarize, it’s an underground sort of club that highlights sharing food, music, and entertainment with complete strangers. I definitely had to check it out and dragged my cousin Caroline. We were able to get reservations on line as they sold out instantly after being featured on a local website, Daily Candy.

Off to a stranger’s home in Silverlake (the ‘old hollywood’ of LA) with a bottle of wine and 2 pillow cushions as requested from the confirmation email. Upon arrival we were immediately greeted by Jeremy founder/owner of the Ghetto Gourmet and then welcomed by Craig the owner of the home. As we walked in, we caught a glimpse of the guest Chef preparing for plate out in the kitchen. Five ft away, a room of dimmed lights, a cozy fireplace, plate-set tables with around 25 guests, and numerous opened wine bottles awaited. I was in HEAVEN, so we quickly found floor space around a table, plopped down our pillows and sat down. Immediately, we met friends; a tour guide of LA, a full time blogger, a PR manager, an Interior designer, and a sound mixer. Interesting folk who love food! After a little mingling it up, Jeremy came out with introductions and explained the purpose of the evening. We’d be treated to a Chilean pianist, a stand up comedic, and 4 courses of food. Jeremy concluded by saying how fortunate we were to be able to get together and enjoy local artists and food.

Being apart of this enchanting and wonderful event struck a chord in me. I am extremely lucky to have found the art of true expression that food represents. I also realized how there are such great people in this world. They too, are seeking the good life! :)

San Francisco

It’s amazing how SF is 6 hours north of Los Angeles and the atmosphere seems to be of a another state. I love San Francisco and visiting it a true vacation for me. Whenever I go there all I want to do is indulge in the culinary gifts and delights. To me SF is the ‘New York’ of the west coast. Restaurants are abundant, awesome purveyors of local produce, plethora of culture, not to mention the true beauty of the place. I was out of my mind when I stepped into the Farmer’s Market! The produce was incredibly fresh and full of myriad of colors, friendly local farmers and SF foodies fighting to just plain....eat! I was dying for my knife, a hot flame, and pot to cook.

In the Embarcadero, there are nothing but food specialty shops for Cheese, Meats, Pastries, Chocolates, Mushrooms, Wine, and even Caviar. I had a field day trying all the delectables. Among them were the Organic Beef hot dog, French macaroons, and my ultimate find of Honey Truffled Mustard. I am hooked! I was lucky enough to explore a bunch of San Francisco restaurants, Zuni Café, Slanted Door, Bar Tartine, and a new restaurant Range. My favorite being Slanted Door, a restaurant by Charles Phan, trendy but hearty and authentic Vietnamese food. When I traveled to SF, it was Christmas time, air crisp but not too cold, perfect weather to eat, drink, and be merry.

Tacos!

Back East, I grew up living off of Taco Bell and the local Tippy’s Taco House, this was our extent of Mexican cuisine. Naturally when I moved to the west coast and had my first taco I was horrified! I hated these tacos, I mean seriously, why do you need 2 corn tortillas and why are they not hard corn or soft flour (like at TB) and for the love of god, where is the sour cream, cheddar cheese and ground beef?

I am proud to say I have come full circle because I understand the function of each ingredient in the West Coast Taco. Let’s start off with the tortillas, not one but two hold up condiments and drippings of the meat of choice. The tortilla consisting of corn masa flour, not fried but steamed, generates that authentic corn flavor. Sour cream and cheddar cheese smothers it all, so crispy Napa cabbage, roasted salsa, lime, and Mexican Cotija cheese suffice perfectly. My favorite tacos are ‘lengua’ and ‘cabeza’, yes this does translate to tongue and head in Spanish, the meat is tender and delicious. I can’t even begin to describe fish tacos; mahi-mahi, swordfish and a new one for me, Salmon.

If you want to live a full life and never have had a Taco west coast style, I highly suggest one. Give me a call, I’ll be first to take you to the local late night Taco Truck!

Thanksgiving

We all love or dread the Thanksgiving holiday. For me, I enjoy catching up with family, watching football, and most of seeing my aunts faces as their ‘specialty’ dish is served for the annual feast. Incredibly proud as they display the dish they have taken the time to prepare all day. I was lucky enough to have my mother visit from the East coast this year. She is a great cook whom I have appreciated all my life but cooking wise, just recently, even more than ever. I had the chance to watch her bake in my apartment, ‘Tarte Tatin’, the classic French dessert she has perfected!

My aunt Thanh is more inspiration for cooking as she prepared me a 4 course French meal when I was just 12 years old. She was the cook and hostess for the evening in Redondo Beach. She prepared the important dishes; the bird, gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes, salad, appetizers, and a special ‘Pork Tenderloin braised in Red wine and Black Olives.’ I came early just to give her a hard time in the kitchen which did not go over well as she was preparing for 20 people. She asked me to make the vegetables so I made ‘Deconstructed’ Green Bean Casserole and Roasted Bacon wrapped Asparagus. My aunt Hanh made a delectable ‘Salade Russe’ a classic French cold salad consisting of crab meat, potatoes, carrots, peas, mayonnaise. She threw in red beets and shrimp as a twist. Tim, my cousin, made mashed potatoes. We had store bought Pumpkin and Pecan pie, while a guest brought over a twist of flan and white cake from a Vietnamese bakery. I attempted something interesting, Pumpkin Panna Cotta topped with Caramelized Apples.

All and all, it was great to see my little cousins running rampid and share some food, wine, and conversation with my family. Prompts to my aunt Trang who chowed down on the wing of the Turkey, gotta love it.