I'm off to...

People, I hit a stroke of luck this year, I’m off to Paris for 2 weeks!!! The trip is purely devoted to food, art, food, Parisian way of life, did I mention food, and lastly, as a friend stated, ‘why we travel’ moments. I’m out to seek the simple treasures of life that can be incorporated into my life back home….a.k.a. a self discovery and pilgrimage before I hit 30! Don’t worry folks, I will be well taken care for the last few days, as mom visits and we venture to Michelin famed restaurants, Versailles, and the Vallee de Loire. For now, I am packing, what is in the suitcase?

1. Knives (I forgot to say…I am taking a week long class at Le Cordon Bleu, translated into English, just for me…scary!!)
2. Map and guidebooks (I am a COMPLETE disaster with directions)
3. I-pod and books (in case this American offends people in class and will have to spend nights by myself, hard to believe)
4. French dictionary (my Vietnamese is 10 times better than my french, need I say more?)
5. Running shoes (Am a Bridesmaid for my cousin’s wedding 2 weeks after I get back, again, need I say more?)
6. Plastic bags for smuggling food back (chocolate, cheese, bread)
7. Camera and journal (for all of you fine folks and the blog!)

To be continued.....see you all soon, I love emails!

Impromptu dinner with Dave L.

Gerlyn and Kirstin were in town so we were all invited to Dave’s for dinner in the Hollywood Hills. I got a bit lost, not to mention queasy driving up those windy Hills to his Spanish style home. Charming and cute, the house was ideal for a summer soiree. It was kind of weird that I did not have to cook but nonetheless relaxing and extremely fun to watch. We dined on Grilled whole Red Snapper, fresh vegetables, and drank multiple bottles of Rose. We conversated until the wee hours of the night listening to music and topped things off with a mean nightcap of Tequila, Rum, and some other fruit juices….so I think! An evening to remember for sure....

A fun dinner party

I love parties like this, not necessarily cooking them but being there was good enough. For my client’s 40th b-day party, 30 guests were invited to hike Temescal Canyon, enjoy an open bar, a belly dancer, henna artist, my food, and lastly Sprinkles cupcakes. YUM.

The Great French Fry

Idaho Potato vs. Kennebec Potato

Chips, hash browns, tater tots, mashed, baked, roasted, boiled, we love them all, created from the one and only POTATO. AND, who doesn’t love a good French fry? Most of us grew up on McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King (ugh), pretty much frozen adulterated stuff. And it wasn’t until just recently, Thomas Keller’s Bouchon restaurant was exposed, they too use frozen fries….gasppp..! So, people, where do we draw the line? Are all fries frozen? Not all establishments, examples are In N’ Out Burger and probably a few local restaurants, for instance, my recent visit to Blue Velvet in downtown LA (pictured below), made in the back of the house.

Being the Scientist I am, one sunny Saturday, my friend Dylan and I decided to produce the perfect, almost natural, french fry. Truthfully, Dylan was the mad scientist/stock broker who convinced me of this little experiment. It entailed 2 varietals of potatoes (Kennebec and Idaho), 7 different trials, procedures that included, slicing, blanching, par-frying, deydrating, freezing, and deep frying. Finally, after much tasting, analyzing, and spitting, we agreed on a top notch, ‘gold standard’ product (food scientist jargon).

If you are interested in making a beautiful, crisp, golden brown and flavorful french fry, please follow procedures below.

1. Cut potatoes (preferably Kennebecs), approx 3/8" wide.
2. Blanch in 170 degrees F of chicken or beef broth for 7 minutes.
3. Put in dehydrator until completely dry, about 15 min at 150-160 degrees , let rest for 5 min.**
4. Fry at 290-300 F degrees for 3 minutes
5. Cool to room temp (can freeze potatoes at this point for future use)
6. Fry at 360 degrees until golden brown and crispy.

**If you don’t have a food dehydrator (most people don’t, Dylan!), try to dry with paper towel as best as you can.