Two new shops are getting ready to open soon: N’ice Cream and The Cheese Shop.

Coming down from Los Angeles will be N’ice Cream’s fifth location. Featuring freshly-made organic gelato and sorbet. Every morning, the iced confectioner prepares their gelato and sorbets for sale that day. Nothing they sell in their stores is ever more than 12 hours old at any point in time during the day.

You can have your “n’ice cream” plain or in a milkshake or smoothie. They also have a wide variety of home-made toppings.

Plans at this time is for a March opening date in The OC Mart Mix. In the meantime you can visit one of their other locations in Santa Monica or Venice. More info on N’ice Cream can be found on their website at: www.ilovenicecream.com or on Twitter at @NiceCreamUSA

N’ice Cream is founded by Laura Nielsen and Christian Toxboe, both from Denmark. They moved to Los Angeles in 2008 and opened their first location in the Abbot Kinney neighborhood of Venice.

Now, in November I reported that a new Cheese Shop was moving into The OC Mart Mix.

Well lots of new progress. A new partition wall is now complete and new refrigeration units as well as the main selling counter are now in place.

The Cheese Shop is scheduled to open their doors on Saturday, January 28.

They will be offering a unique selection of cheeses and charcuterie. In addition they will have grab-and-go sandwiches as well as home goods.

“We are excited to be in the oc mart MiX with its collection of eco-conscience vendors and exclusive design stores.” – Dawn Mednick

The Cheese Shop will be operated by Dawn Mednick and Sherrie Jordan. The shop is a sister store to The Cellar (wine and cheese shop)  in San Clemente which opened in 2008.

The Cheese Shop
3313 Hyland Avenue, Suite C
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
949-284-0558
www.cellarcheeseshop.com
@OCCheeseShop

The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes are summoning the best teen chefs across the U.S. and Canada to showcase their culinary talents in The Art Institutes Best Teen Chef Competition 2010.

The top prize winner will earn a full-tuition scholarship toward a bachelor’s degree, associate’s degree, certificate program or diploma program to study culinary arts at one of the more than 30 participating Art Institutes schools.

Now in its eleventh year, The Art Institutes Best Teen Chef Competition awards more than $200,000 in tuition scholarships to The Art Institutes schools to high school seniors in the U.S. and Canada (excluding Quebec) interested in pursuing a career in the fast growing culinary industry.

Local cook-off competitions will take place at participating locations of The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes on April 17, 2010.

First place local winners will progress to the National Best Teen Chef Final Round Competition, which will be held on Saturday, May 15, 2010 at The Art Institute of Houston.

In addition to a full-tuition scholarship and the title of Best Teen Chef 2010, the national first place winner will be an “Intern for a Day” at Food Network Kitchens in New York City. The winner will also receive a tour of Food Network’s studios, dinner for two at a Food Network chef’s restaurant and a library of Food Network Kitchens cookbooks.

“It’s great to see the passion and enthusiasm for food in the eyes of the Best Teen Chef competitors,” says Chef Michael Nenes, Assistant Vice President of Culinary Arts for The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes. “They have a drive, focus and an understanding of food that produces beautifully presented and great tasting results.”

To be eligible to enter the competition, high school seniors must first submit a completed Entry & Release Form by February 5, 2010 to a participating International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes location where they wish to enter the competition. Deadline for complete entries into the competition is February 26, 2010.

To learn how to enter the Best Teen Chef Competition 2010 and view full details, visit http://www.artinstitutes.edu/pr.aspx?ID=ai1017.

This week’s Foodie Friday features blogs with the word FOODIE in the title:

1. The Fumbling Foodie – http://fumblingfoodie.typepad.com/fumblingfoodie/
2. DC Foodies – http://www.dcfoodies.com/
3. Chicago Foodies – http://www.chicagofoodies.com/
4. Philafoodie – http://www.philafoodie.com/
5. FoodieNYC - http://blog.foodienyc.com/

Personally, not sure if all the technology in the machine is worth it just to dispense a $1.00 bottle of Coca-Cola – but you know me, anything tech related and I’m there. Here is a clip from CNET’s Brian Tong who got to interact with one of these machines at this years CES show.

Another vending machine that the Cola giant has released is a different kind of dispenser. This is a new dispenser meant to replace the soda fountain at your local fast food joint. So why is that news? This new dispensing machine uses RFID technology (Radio Frequency ID) in the machine itself and changes the way the syrup is distributed to restaurants.

For years, soda fountain technology really hasn’t changed. Restaurateurs purchase large bags of syrup that is then connected to a water line that dispenses the carbonated drink of your choice with the press of your cup against the trigger.  This new machine uses cartridges, much like your inkjet printer, that has an RFID chip in it so that it can collect data on usage and help restaurants get a better handle on their inventory.  The new machine also allows for a myriad of drink combinations to be made.

We’ve all done it. We got our cup, filled it with ice and got a little bit of that, then a little bit of this and we had our signature drink. Well, Coca-Cola has pre-programmed over 28,000 drink combinations with more to come. The cartridges allow for a much larger inventory to be carried than the traditional bags of syrup. Currently the machine holds up to 30 different cartridges that will mix up about 100 drink combinations for you.

The RFID technology gives retailers access to data they couldn’t get before. For example, data can be collected during special events at the restaurant and track exactly what consumers were drinking. The new dispenser allows for new drink concepts to be tested faster in the field and collect data on it. In the unlikely event a cartridge needs to be recalled, the system can be accessed remotely via the network and that cartridge can be disabled.

The technology behind the door is a combined effort with Verizon’s wireless network and Coke’s Data Warehousing systems in Atlanta, GA. They are rolling out these machines in test environments here in Orange County, Atlanta and Salt Lake City.

Have you seen one of these machines and if so, what do you think about it? Let me know.

I have yet to sample these delectable tacos and burritos. For example their signature taco is made with short ribs and topped with sesame-chili salsa roja, julienne romaine lettuce and cabbage tossed in Korean chili-soy vinaigrette, cilantro-green onion-lime relish, crushed sesame seeds, sea salt, then garnished with a lime wedge, orange wedge and red radish wedge.

A fellow blogger at There’s a Queer in my Soup, sent me a tweet on Twitter that they were coming. I think I will have to track them down this week when they are in Anahiem or Santa Ana to finally check them out.

Here is there TENTATIVE schedule. If you aren’t following them on Twitter, you should. @kogibbq. Any changes in locations and times will be Twittered.

I’m only listing the OC schedule. For a full listing for both trucks, visit ther website at www.kogibbq.com.

As always, you can always get some Kogi in The Alibi Room Mondays through Saturdays from 6pm to Midnight. They are located at 12236 Washington Blvd in Culver City if you don’t want to hunt down the truck.

1. Tuesday – 5/12
   Roja
   7:30PM-Midnight@2 J’s Cocktail Lounge – 120 W Houston Ave in Fullerton

2. Wednesday – 5/13
   Verde
   10:30PM-1AM@Santa Fe Springs – Stage Rd & Valley View at the 2nd warehouse to the right
3. Thursday – 5/14
   Verde
   7:30PM-Midnight@Juke Joint – 735 N Anaheim Blvd in Anaheim
4. Friday – 5/15
   None in The OC due to a private catered event
5. Saturday – 5/16
   Verde
   7PM-10PM@Santa Ana Artwalk – Santa Ana Blvd. & Santiago

Photo credit: KogiBBQ.com

Battle of the Chefs: Eco-Cuisine was held in Los Angeles with 3 prominent chefs battling for a prize package worth $15,000. Our chefs: Chef Robert Danhi, owner of Chef Danhi & Co.; Chef CC, executive chef and owner of Clean Plate Meals; and Chef Andrew Kirschner of Wilshire Restaurant.

This Earth Day competition centers around the importance of choosing environmnetally responsible foods like soy.

Winning Chef Andrew Kirschner had the following winning menu:

Orange Julius Soytini

Panko Crusted Miso Marinated Tofu Steak with Edamame Puree, Soy Stir Fried Mushrooms and Shishito Peppers

Chocolate Fudge Soysicle

The recipes will be available on SOYJOY’s website on April 29.

Some culinary notables were also at the event. Dave Lieberman, Food Network host and author, was master of ceremonies for the event. At the judges tables were Akasha Richmond of Akasha, Joanne Weir, cookbook author and PBS Cooking host; Kate Geagan a Cooking Light contributor as well as Connie Gutterson an author and nutrition insturctor at the Culinary Institute of America. Star power was there as well with Julianne Moore joining our judges.

Top Chef Season 5 might be over, but don’t put pack those knives just yet! The creators of Top Chef are set to debut their new show, Top Chef Masters.

The new show will challenge world-renowned chefs against each other and see how well they do competing in a true “Top Chef” fashion.  In each episode, money will be at stake for 24 chefs, with the winners of eliminations being awarded cash donations for their charities.  Six episodes at the beginning will consist of four chefs competing against each other to name one winner.  The winners from the first six episodes will then meet up for the final four weeks. Then, one chef will be eliminated in each episode until the finale where one winner is crowned Top Chef Master.  The winning chef will receive $100,000 for the charity of their choice.

Some of the biggest names in the culinary world will be competing on the show:

• John Besh
• Ricky Bayless
• Michael Chiarello
• Elizabeth Faulkner
• Tim Love
• Hebert Keller
• Art Smith
• Roy Yamaguchi

These are among the 24 chefs that will compete for $100,000 for their charity.

“On ‘Top Chef,’ the biggest names in the industry join us as guests to pass judgment on the chef’testants. Now we’ll get to see how they handle equally tough challenges.” – Dan Cutforth, Executive Producer with Magical Elves

Competing in the first episode are Art Smith – Chef and Owner of Table 52, Chicago, IL; Micaehl Cimarusti – Owner and Chef of Providence Restaurant, Los Angeles, CA; Roy Yamaguchi – Chef and Founder of Roy’s;  and Jonathan Waxman – Chef and Owner of Barbuto in Manhattan’s West Village.

Some of the guest star judges include Neil Patrick Harris, Jeff Lewis from “Flipping Out”, Zooey Deschanel, Morgan Spurlock as well as appearances from Tom Colicchio, Padma Lakshmi and Gail Simmons.

A food journalist and creator, producer and host of NYC TV’s weekly restaurant show “Eat Out NY,” Kelly Choi will be the new host of the show. Choi, a former model, she recently completed “The 20 Most Delicious Dishes in New York,” a new book which is set to hit stores this spring.

Our judges consist of Gael Greene, a New York Magazine famed restaurant critic for over 40 years, a best-selling author and co-founder of Citymeals-on-Wheels.  Joining Gael is Editor-in-Chief of Saveur magazine James Oseland. Rounding out our judges is culinary expert and British journalist, writer and broadcaster Jay Rayner.

The format of the show will feature a Quickfire challenge, but in a twist, the food will be judged in a blind taste test format and based on a five-star rating system. The elimination challenge will test their versatility and inventiveness. The dishes will be tasted not only by the judges, but also by the guests to whom the dishes were intended for. For example, it could patrons in a Five-Star Hotel or a room full of kids. The food has to appeal to both the critics as well as the diners if they are to survive.

Barvo’s newest show is scheduled to air on June 10 at 10pm. Stay Tuned!

Photo Credits: Jaimie Trueblood

Here in Southern California, we are proud that the following restaurateurs and authors have been nominated for their various categories. The James Beard Awards will be held May 3 and 4.

OUTSTANDING CHEF AWARD

Suzanne Goin
Lucques
Los Angeles

BEST NEW RESTAURANT

The Bazaar by José Andrés at SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills
Los Angeles
Chef/Owner: José Andrés

OUTSTANDING WINE SERVICE AWARD

Patina
Los Angeles
Wine Director: Eric Espuny

RESTAURANT REVIEWS

Jonathan Gold
LA Weekly
“A Proper Brasserie,” “A Fine Palate,” “Pho Town”

BOOKS – BAKING

The Art and Soul of Baking
by Cindy Mushet, Sur La Table
(Andrews McMeel Publishing)

In 1983, Rick DiRienzo, his father Joe and wife Susan created this Puerto Nuevo-themed restaurant in their hometown of Bonita, California. Back then it was called Rockin’ Baja Lobster. The restaurant was a great success and the they have been throwing Rockin’ Baja beach parties ever since!

The name evolved to Rockin’ Baja Coastal Cantina in 2007. There are now five locations throughout Southern California (San Diego in Old Town and the Gaslamp Quarter, Oceanside, Newport Beach and Montclair) with more to come! They also have locations in Austin, TX and Biloxi, MS.

To celebrate their 25th Year Anniversary they are selling their famous Baja Buckets for TWO for $29.95 for the rest of 2009! The Big Baja Bucket comes full of marinated carne asada, grilled chicken, Baja seasoned shrimp and lobster tails. It’s also served with “All You Can Eat” beans, rice, flour tortillas, honey chili butter and fresh salsa and chips bar.

The normal price for the Big Baja Bucket for Two is $25 per person, so it’s almost a half-off deal for the entire year. Orange County is host to one of their Cantinas at the Newport Beach Pier!

Rockin’ Baja Coastal Cantina
2104 W. Oceanfront Blvd
Newport Beach, CA 92663
949-723-0606

Let me start this recap by saying that I was on the edge of my seat for my friend Carla throughout the whole episode! Plus all that drama between Hosea and Leah – uh yeah..that’s why romance in the workplace is such a bad idea.

One more item of note.  The word is RESTAURATEUR not Restauranteurs. There is no “N” in that word.

Now onto the recap.

Well here we are at one of the most anticipated episodes that Top Chef produces. It’s Restaurant Wars. We are down to 8 contestants. The gang is still reeling in from the last challenge where Ariane was sent home. Hosea and Leah both knew they threw Ariane under the bus and they got to stay.

The chefs left the apartment and headed towards the Top Chef Kitchen. As the eight of them walked into the kitchen, Padma and restauratuer Stephen Starr, owner of Starr Restaurants in New York and Philadelphia. He owns such restaurants as Buddakan, Morimoto and El Vez.

Today’s Quickfire Challenge is to come up with a Signature dish for a restaurant concept as if Stephen was a prospective investor. There will be two winners. The winners will not have immunity in the next challenge, however, the two winners will lead the two teams in this season’s restaurant wars. So here is the twist…they only have 30 minutes to create their dish. They are running around the kitchen with their heads in the weeds!

Hosea – Seafood with a Mediterranean Influence - Shrimp with Morel Mushroom Cream Sauce, Garlic Potato Purée & Poached Asparagus

Leah – Asian Inspired – Tempura Poussin with Dashi, Soy and Rice Wine Vinegar

Carla – Homey, Rustic Foods of the Season – Cod seared in Tomato Oil with Italian Salsa & Mache Green Salad

Stefan – Euro-American Cuisine – Fried White Asparagus with Trout, Asparagus Salad and White Asparagus Soup

Fabio – Mediterranean – Tuna & Swordfish Carpaccio, Roasted Vegetable Salad, Filet Mignon Sandwich

Radhika – Globally Influences – Pan-Seared Cod, Butter Braised Corn, Spinach & Chorizo with Cream Sauce

Jeff – Simple American – Grilled Salmon with Sunchoke & Artichoke Purée, Grilled Corn & Asparagus Salad

Jamie – Season Cooking – Chilean Sea Bass with Creamed Corn, Bacon, Peas & Garlic Scape

So who were Stephen’s least favorites? He didn’t not care for Jeff’s Salmon or for Fabio’s concept for Lunch in the Mediterranean. Stephen did, however, pic some surprises for me. He chose Radhika’s Global Cuisine concept and Leah’s Asian inspired concepts. Leah and Radhika will choose their teams and form their restaurants in the elimination challenge.

Team One (Sahana): Radhika, Jamie, Carla, Jeff

Team Two (Sunset Lounge): Leah, Hosea, Fabio, Stefan

Today they shop for linens, furniture, smallwares and tomorrow they shop for food at Restaurant Depot and Whole Foods. The teams negotiate recipes and roles in the restaurants. On Team Sahana, Radhika opts for Front of House, while on Team Sunset Lounge, Fabio will work the Front of House. Both teams head out to Pier 1 Imports to shop for the decor of the restaurant.

Meanwhile as they retire back to the apartment, things start to heat up between Leah and Hosea. The two have been flirting all season long. Let’s just say things get a little too close between the two of them. Cut to black and the next thing you know we hear Hosea and Leah talking about regret and they shouldn’t have done that, etc. They didn’t “cheat” on their girlfriend/boyfriends, they just got very cozy apparently. This will bite them in the ass later. Back to the cooking.

The next morning, the chefs head out shopping at Restaurant Depot and Whole Foods. They all arrive at the Bridgewater Restaurant on the roof. They have six hours to do food prep and get the decor all done. Meanwhile, here are the menus:

Sunset Lounge: Egg Roll, Sashimi Two Ways, Short Ribs, Coconut Curry Bisque, Seared Cod, Chocolate Parfait and Panna Cotta

Sahana: Curried Carrot Soup, Grilled Scallop with Chickpea Cake, Braised Lamb Shank, Seared Snapper, Baklava, Chocolate Cake, Frozen Yogurts

So my two cents on the decor of the two restaurants. Sahana went with a Red theme, while Sunset Lounge went gold.  Sahana had some bistro height tables setup for guests to have a drink at while waiting for their table, while Sunset Lounge had a wicker seating area. Sahana looked more rich and inviting, but Sunset Lounge felt less inviting, but they have Fabio at the front and his charm certainly wins the guests over.

So initial observations? Radhika spends ALOT of time in the kitchen. She looks like she is in pain and doesn’t look happy. Fabio on the other hand is being the charming person we all know he could be.

SAHANA

The judges eat at Sahana first.  Their appetizer is a Naan bread that looked more like pancakes – but Padma and Stephen liked it. Next is the Curried Carrot Soup that surprises Tom while Stephen agrees. With the soup is a Chickpea Cake with a Seared Scallop in a Masala Tomato Sauce and Arugula Salad. I want to try the Chickpea Cake. They all loved it. Personally I’m not a fan of Chickpeas. Oddly, I love Hummus. The Seared Snapper is up next with White Lentils swimming in some Tomato Water along with the Lamb Shank with Israeli Couscous. The Lamb was well done, but they all were disapproving of the Tomato Water. The Snapper was good. So Carla has been struggling with the desserts all night long. The freezer wasn’t working and the “brittle” wasn’t so brittle. The judges didn’t care much for desserts. The yogurt has melted and they were served forks. Toby asked for a spoon to eat the “soup”. The judges make mention of Radhika’s constant disappearing act. They leave Sahana without as much as a goodbye from their host, Radhika.

SUNSET LOUNGE

After dinner at Sahana, the judges head to the Sunset Lounge. Fabio greets them and the judges appreciate that. They are greeted with an amuse bouche of a vegetable egg roll with a sweet chili sauce. Tom said he had frozen egg rolls that were better. One woman said it amused her bouche. Next us are the appetizers of Tuna & Salmon Sashimi with a Radish Salad with a Yuzu Vinaigrette and a Curry Coconut Bisque. Next up is Leah’s Seared Black Cod with Fresh Vegetables and Chinese Cabbage along with a Braised Short Ribs with Ginger, Vegetables and Beef Demi-Glace. Everyone loved the short ribs. On a personal note, this is the fourth mentioning of short ribs this week for me, perhaps the culinary muses are telling me something. Meanwhile, the cod is undercooked and the sauce is very strong. Padma sends hers back to the kitchen. So here comes the dessert which were Stefan’s. Chocolate Rice Parfait with Pineapple and a Lemongrass-Ginger Panna Cotta. The judges felt Sunset Lounge had way better desserts. This saved them. As a final palate cleanser, a Frozen Mango, Bitter Chocolate and Mint lollipop.

The judges talked more at the table and how they liked the food better at Sahana over all while hands-down, the desserts were better at the Sunset Lounge. They then talked about not just the food, but the whole experience overall. They talked about Radhika disappearing all the time versus Fabio’s attention to the guests. The chefs finish up the evening while the guests fill out their comment cards. We all head over to Judge’s Table.

Padma comes in and asks for the Sunset Lounge team to face the judges first. The team lines up and they are told they are the winners but not by much, in fact they go on to say they enjoyed Sahana’s food better, but that it was the whole experience that won them the prize of the night. Were it not for Fabio, all might have been lost. So who was the winner overall this evening? Stephen Starr said that Stefan’s desserts make him the winner. They mention that Leah’s Cod was the worse thing they had all evening.

The winning team heads back and sends Sahana to the Judge’s table. They start to get on Carla’s desserts and she starts to defend herself, but I think she is super nervous and may have been a bit over zealous. She kinda mouthed back at Tom at one point. Carla, I am very worried. I’m sorry but sending out “love” with the desserts that she didn’t care for herself just didn’t cut it. Next they start to harp on Radhika. Radhika was really unengaged and looked like she didn’t care. They make mention that she didn’t lead tonite and that isn’t a mark of a chef- owner. The judges were really critical of the team tonite. They basically left Jeff and Jamie alone tonite. It was brutal listening to them.

I sit here, unfortunately, hoping they send Radhika home. I don’t want Carla to go, but not sure she has safety. Carla, I’m crossing my fingers for you.

Team Sahana returns to the table and the heat is turned up. Stephan said leave the love in the kitchen, send out good desserts. Padma asks Radhika to pack her knives and go.

OH MY GOD!

I was so happy that Carla gets to stay another week, but very sad for Radhika. I have always looked at Radhika as one of the underdogs of the group – but reality sets in. Radhika owns a restaurant, she knows better. Good luck Radhika, we hope to hear good things of you in the future.

I realized that I had a few photo’s sitting in my iPhone camera and decided to post them. I wil get a full write up for Hashigo’s up in a few days. I the meantime here is a mix of photos these last few days in December.

[Show as slideshow]

Welcome back all. Last week we said goodbye to Alex…what’s in store for this week?

The chef’s file into the kitchen to find Padma standing there alone with no guest judge. Padma says it’s a tasting challenge. The chefs need to identify what they are tasting. The twist in this season of twists? It looks like it’s sauces. This is like Name That Tune (but backwards) and how many ingredients in the sauce can you name and figure out what the sauce is. Kewl. They each will taste the sauce at the same time, have 15 seconds and the winner of the toss get’s to challenge first.

First up? Hosea and Danny and Shrimp and Lobster Bouillabiasse. Hosea says he can name the sauce in 4 ingredients. Danny says 4 as well, but Padma says he has to bid 5, so he calls Hosea’s bluff and Hosea has to name the sauce.  Hosea moves to the next round. Here’s a recap of the rest:

Ariane bid 5, Jeff bid 6.  Jeff starts to name his ingredients and guess crab, he’s out, Ariane moves to the next round.

Jamie bid 4, Stefan bid 5. Stefan names his five and gets them right.

Eugene bid 4, Leah bid x. Eugene lost with a guess of Fish Sauce as one of the ingredients.

Radhika bid 3, Stefan bid x. Radhika wins.

Carla bid 4, Melisaa bid x. Carla wins.

Round 2: Thai Green Curry

Hosea vs. Ariane. Hosea wins with 7 ingredients

Stefan vs. Leah. Stefan wins with 8 ingredients… WHAT?!?!

Radhika vs. Carla (Go Carla!). Radhika bid 8, Carla challenged and Radhika lost – Carla moves up.

Round 3: Mexican Molé Sauce 

The last three chefs (Carla, Stefan and Hosea) will bid, spelling bee style until there is one chef left.

Carla is out with a guess of peanut butter. So onto Stefan and Hosea. Stefan named a wrong ingredient, however, Hosea has to name a correct ingredient or they go for another round.

Hosea wins and has immunity in the Elimination Challenge!

This week’s elimination challenge breaks the teams into 4 groups. New, Borrowed, Blue, Used.

Yes, it’s something related to a wedding, it’s Gail Simmons’ bridal shower for 40 guests. Here are the team breakdowns:

Something Borrowed: Ariane, Radhika and Jamie
Something Blue: Melissa, Leah and Fabio 
Something New: Daniel, Carla, Eugene 
Something Old: Jeff, Hosea, Stefan

The teams have 30 minutes and $800 for each team to shop. Onc ack int he Top Chef kitchen things go CRAZY! They have 2.5 hours to prep.

Menus:

Something Old (1st Course):
Tomato Terrine wrapped in Eggplant
Carpaccio with Tomato Sorbet
Gazpacho 

Something New (2nd Course):
Surf and Turf Sushi Roll
Frisée Salad with Wonton
Peach-Miso BBQ Sauce
Yuzu Sorbet

Something Borrowed (3rd Course):
Eastern Spiced Lamb marinated in Yogurt
Vaduvan Carrot Purée
Wilted Kale
Cucumber Raita

Something  Blue (4th Course):
Chilean Sea Bass
Roasted Corn Purée
Swiss Chard

The courses start to come out and the guest judge for the Elimination Round is Dana Cowin, Editor-in-Chief of Food & Wine Magazine. Their favorite overall was the “borrowed” team. They were completely confused about the “new” group. They were kinda underwhelmed by the “blue” team. The old team just skidded by. Not having tasted any of the dishes, I think I have to agree about the “borrowed team”.

We come to Judges’ Table. “Old” and “Borrowed” are up first and they are the favorites. They absolutely loved the lamb dish from the “Borrowed” team. Dana chooses Ariane as the winner. She is surprised and feels bad for Jamie. She wins a Silver Series Calphalon Cookware set and the full Electrics line.

“Blue” and “New” are up and the judges’ least favorite. They ripped the “new” team. Oh no Carla! Danny at the last minute added those mushrooms to the bottom of Carla’s salad. They hated it. Carla didn’t taste the mushrooms. The “blue” team was just plain and boring.

After the deliberation and talking about who should go home, both teams come back and they scold team “Blue” and send them back to the safe room. Up left is the “New” team. Tom said he wanted to send all three home, ultimately it came down to Daniel.

Good luck Daniel.

Sometimes I need some comfort food when I’m feeling a bit off, or when I miss my parents, like today.

Scott’s Something Beef

.75 to 1Lb of Beef, cut into small strips
4 cups Beef or Chicken Broth
2 cups of water
1.5 inch piece of Ginger, sliced into medallions
1/4 of a medium onion, thinly sliced
2 Garlic Cloves sliced 
5-6 Large Shiitake Mushrooms, sliced, stalks removed and discarded.
3 Tablespoons of Fish Sauce
8 Cherry Tomatoes, quartered
1 Green Onion, sliced
1 Tablespoon Oil
Salt & Pepper

In a pot, heat some oil and saute the thinly sliced onions, garlic and ginger medallions. Some salt and pepper too. Make sure you don’t burn the garlic. After about a minute or two, the fragrance of the three will be quite noticeable. Staying at medium-high heat, add the beef to the pot and start to cook the beef. Choose beef that has some fat to it, like chuck. Too lean a cut of beef and the beef will have a difficult time tenderizing during the cooking process in the broth. If you do get a lean cut, simply cut thinner strips.

Stir often. Once you start to see the redness of the beef disappear, add all the broth, 1 cup of water and the fish sauce. Once the broth starts to bubble around the edges, bring your heaat down to medium/medium-low. You will want to simmer this mixture for about 30-40 minutes. 

After simmering, you will notice that some of the broth has evaporated. Add 1 more cup of water. After a minute or two, taste. If you think it needs more salt, add 1 teaspoon of fish sauce. Add the shiitake mushrooms and quartered cherry tomatoes. Continue cooking for another 15 minutes.

Hopefully you made some rice during while the beef is cooking. Take your beef off the heat and serve over fresh jasmine rice!

Like I said earlier, its not a pretty dish, but I love the taste. I will experiment with it to see if I can add a “green” element to the dish to bring it some color and an additional texture without compromising the taste.

Enjoy!

[Show as slideshow]

This is a rough recipe. I apologize in advance that I do not have any prep photos.

Scott’s Thai Coconut Crab Soup
5 cups chicken broth
2 can coconut milk
10-15 thai basil leaves
1 Lemongrass Stalk (the white part, smashed with the back of a knife)
2 inch chunk of Ginger sliced and smashed
3 garlic cloves
8 Lime Leaves (hand torn)
10 springs of Cilantro (Corriander)
6 large shiitake mushrooms (stems removed, sliced)
5 Chinese long string beans (cut into 2 inch segments)
1 pacakge of crab, make sure to check for shells (no imitation stuff here)
1 handful of shrimp chopped
1/2 to 1 teasooon of red curry paste (you can find this is most Asian markets and aisle)
1/2 teaspoon of Sambal (hot chili sauce, also found in most Asian markets and aisle)
2 teaspoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon of white pepper
2 tablespoons of fish sauce (nuac nam)
A squeeze of Lime

First we are going to infuse our broth with aromatics. If you have home-made chicken stock that’s great! If not, purchase one that is low in sodium. Place the broth in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. While that is coming up to temperature, let’s get our aromatics ready.

Lemongrass. For this dish we will be using the white part (towards the root). Cut off about a 6-8 piece and cut that in half. Next take those pieces and in half along the length of the piece. Next, take the backside of your knife and whack the lemongrass. this will help get all the oils out, you’ll begin to smell the lemongrass almost immediately. Add this to the broth. You’ll notice that lemongrass is a bit “woody” in texture, don’t worry, we’ll be straining this out later.

Next take a 3 inch piece of ginger and cut into medallions. No need to skin it. Next crush the medallions with the side of your knife, again to release the flavor.

Add the remaining pieces of aromatics: crushed garlic, half the lime leaves (torn by hand) half the basil and cilantro and place into the broth. Simmer all of this together for at least 15-20 minutes once the broth has come to a full simmer.

Meanwhile, let’s slice up our shiitake mushrooms and Chinese long beans and prep the crab and shrimp. [NOTE] You can substitute for regular green beans if you can’t find the Chinese Long Beans, but I find the Chinese Long Beans to have a different taste.

Now for the crab. Buy lump meat if you can. Whatever you do, avoid buying crab that is in a can. Most good seafood counters will have lump meat in a plastic container. Open and place the crab in a bowl. Pick thru to make sure there aren’t any pieces of shell or cartilage. Next chop your shrimp into small pieces. Frozen shrimp is totally fine here (its cheaper). Shell and de-vein the shrimp, then chop.

After your broth has been simmering for 15-20 minutes, take it off the heat and strain to another pot. Place back on the heat. Add two cans of coconut milk. You can go with LITE coconut milk, it doesn’t skimp on flavor, just fat! Next add the sambal, fish sauce, white pepper (if you don’t have white pepper, black is fine), sugar and red curry paste. Stir and make sure everything comes together.

After about 1 minute, add the mushrooms and green beans, wait 2 minutes then add the crab and shrimp. Add the remaining cilantro and basil to the broth.

Don’t forget to taste, if you think it needs more salt, add another teaspoon of fish sauce. You can add more sambal or curry paste to your liking.

Serve hot and with some fresh basil leaves on top and a squeeze of Lime. If you didn’t spice it up too much, a drop of sambal on the top is a nice touch!

Enjoy!

Question:

Recently a restaurant I have eaten at many times showed up on the weekly OC Register restaurant closure list. They were cited for several violations including improper holding temperatures of food, inadequate cleaning cloth sanitizer levels, unsanitary equipment, and improper thawing procedures. All fixable.

They weren’t closed for those reasons. Their main violation was a cockroach infestation and improper reheating temperatures/practices. So some additional training is given regarding reheating practices, but do you ever fix a cockroach infestation? It has been my opinion, that once you get to a point of “infestation” it’s pretty much a done deal.

Many would argue that every restaurant kitchen has roaches. I say no, that is not the truth. Improper cleaning practices leads to a dirty kitchen; dirty kitchens lead to vermin and roach infestations.

Shows like Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares has revealed some examples of kitchens that are in horrible states. He brings in a team of steam cleaners and professionals to come in and literally scrub down the kitchens before he let’s food out again. 

As for the restaurant in question, I have been in their kitchen and I have to say that I have had to look the other way – and shame on me for doing so. Now that they have shown up on the list, I cannot go back.

The following is a link to the Orange County Food Protection Program part of the Orange County Health Care Agency. 

They are the ones who monitor OC restaurants. Here you can look up any restaurant that has had a violation.

It is interesting to note that Orage County doesn’t have a restaurant rating system like Los Angeles County has. In LA, all restaurants are required to post their current license status prominently. I generally will not eat at “C” rated restaurants in LA County. What if Orange County had a rating system, how many restaurants would come out with an “A” rating?

Pot Pie:

• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 carrots, cut in 1/2-inch circles (or 1/2 bag of frozen carrots)
• 2 ribs of celery, cut into 1/2 pieces
• 1/2 bag frozen pearl onions
• 1/4 to 1/2 bag of  frozen peas 
• Leaves from 3 fresh parsley sprigs
• 2 frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
• 1 egg mixed with 3 tablespoons water
• 4 to 6 cups of chicken stock
• 2 large handfuls of shredded chicken
• 4-6 ramekins ( i used small ones for small individual pot pies)

In a stockpot melt the butter and then whisk in the flour to form a paste. This is a roux, which will act as a thickener. Now, gradually pour in 4-6 cups of the chicken broth, whisking the entire time to prevent lumps. Whisk and simmer for 10 minutes to cook out the starchy taste of the flour and thicken the broth; it should look like cream of chicken soup. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in the shredded chicken, carrots, celery, pearl onions, peas, and parsley. Stir to combine and simmer for 5 minutes on low heat. The broth should be thick. I personally like my filling to be thick and not soupy. If you need to you can supplement with some corn starch and water mixed prior to adding to broth. The cornstarch liquid will help thicken the broth even more. Even tho I seasoned earlier, I re-seasoned again.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lay the thawed puff pastry sheets on a lightly floured, cool surface. Invert individual crocks on the pastry sheet and, using a sharp knife, cut circles around the outside of the bowls, slightly larger than the bowl itself. Fill the crocks 3/4 of the way with the chicken mixture, making sure each serving has a nice amount of chicken, vegetables, and broth. Carefully cap each crock with a pastry circle, pressing the dough around the rim to form a seal. Set the crocks on a cookie sheet and transfer to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, until puffed and golden. 

[svgallery name="potpies2"]

Well I left work late and didn’t get home until about 7:45 after a trip to the market. But as I say down and took my shoes off from work and sat on the couch, I realized that I wasn’t going to have pot pies tonight. Well, unless I had the Swansons variety. Tonight I had to make chicken stock. This would give me two items I would need to make pot pies: shredded chicken and home made chicken stock.

Many of you probably ask, why go thru all the trouble of making stock when you can go and buy fairly good stock at the market? My answer, when you have time to make stock, take advantage of it. I can’t even tell you how the apartment smelled tonight as the stock was simmering on the stove. The final product is stock that was made with the freshest ingredients and with care. It will always taste better than anything you could buy in a box at the market. Trust me.

Chicken Stock

1 whole chicken (3-5 lbs) (organic preferred)
2 small onions – quartered, skin on ok
3 carrots -cut into chunks, no need to peel
4 celery ribs – cut into chunks 
1 head of garlic – sliced horizontally in half, no need to peel) 
10 whole peppercorns
Several sprigs (6) each of Thyme, Italian Parsley and Rosemary
2 bay leaves 
Cold water
8-12 quart pot

Take your chicken and place in the pot. Fill with COLD water and fill to about two inches above the top of the chicken. You’ll probably be close to the top of your pot.

Next add the onions, celery, garlic, peppercorns and herbs to the water. Turn the stove up to HIGH and when you see the water start to form small bubbles around the edge of the water, turn the heat down to about a med/med-low and let simmer for about 2 to 2.5 hours. Some schools of thought say simmer for 6 hours, but in my opinion, for this amount of stock, 2-2.5 hours is sufficient. Do NOT cover your pot.

After about 2.5 hours, you will see that the “stock” has taken on a nice color. Next you’ll want to take the chicken out of the stock. Place it in a container that has sides and set aside. 

Next, being careful (we’re talking about hot stock here) pour the stock into a large bowl with a strainer on top to catch all the solids in the stock.  Once that is done, discard the solids and let the stock cool down. Cool the stock down until it is warm then you can store it in your fridge for up to 2 days or 2 months in the freezer. 

The freezer you ask?? You bet! I have 1 quart containers with sealed lids and I keep then in the freezer. Whenever I need stock I find that 1 qt is sufficient for most recipes. I take the frozen stock and place in a sauce pan and just melt it down. Other ideas is to fill ice cube trays with them. When they have solidified, place the “ice” in a zip lock bag and take what you need when you need them.

Oh, one more thing. I like to put mine in the fridge overnight after it has cooled down. The next morning, you will see a layer of solidified “fat” on the top. Discard the fat, then do what you want with the stock.

NOTE: If you recall, we put no salt in this. Whatever you do, don’t. Add the salt in your final recipe, not in the stock.

How easy was that? Now that chicken. A whole chicken can yield a good amount of shredded chicken. Once the bird has cooled down, you can start shredding the chicken. The best tool for this? Your two hands. If it is too messy, you can wear some gloves. The medical latex or vinyl ones will work fine, just make sure they don’t have that “powder” stuff on them. Otherwise I can’t be responsible.

The skin will just slide right off with your hands and start taking chucks of the chicken and shred, shred, shred! :) Doing it with your fingers also lets you feel the chicken and discard any fat, skin or tough rubbery pieces. 

So now I have enought shredded chicken for my pot pies that I will make this weekend and I’ll have enough for tacos and a small chicken salad!

Enjoy!

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The Risotto
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoons unsalted butter
Some Olive or Canola Oil
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
A few twigs of Thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cups Arborio rice
Assorted wild mushrooms, coarsely chopped,
1 ounce grated Parmesan, approximately 1/4 cup – use a Microplane
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Directions
In a medium saucepan with a lid, bring chicken broth to a simmer. Using hot broth is key here. Using room temperature broth will not the results you want.

In a 3 to 4-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the scallions and a pinch of salt and sweat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and the leaves from your thyme. Cook the mushrooms until they get some color. Mushrooms soak up alot so you might need to add some olive or canola oil to it.

Once you’ve gotten some color on the mushrooms, add the rice and stir. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the grains are translucent around the edges. Be careful not to allow the grains or the onions to brown. It’s a bit taboo to brown the rice at this stage, but I bring it to the point just before it starts to get color. I like the flavor it puts into the rice. Stir.

Add the wine at this point. Make sure it is a wine that you drink yourself. Never use cooking wine! Give it some time for some of the alcohol to burn off, maybe 1 or 2 minutes.

Reduce the heat to low. Add enough of the chicken stock just to cover the top of the rice. Stir or move the pan often, until the liquid is completely absorbed into rice. Once absorbed, add another amount of liquid just to cover the rice and continue stirring or moving as before. There should be just enough liquid left to repeat 1 more time. It should take approximately 35 to 40 minutes for all of the liquid to be absorbed. After the last addition of liquid has been mostly absorbed, remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan. Sometimes I feel like nutmeg and sometime I don’t. If you do, this is the point to put it in. Add a small pat of butter at the end. Taste and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

 
Pan Seared Salmon
Salmon Fillet – with or without skin
Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper
Canola Oil
Pre-Heat over to 325.

Strat with your salmon filet. You can leave the skin on. If you don’t want the skin, you can have your fishmonger skin it for you when you buy it at the store. Watch our for words like “color added” or “previously frozen”. Look for words like “farmed” and “fresh”.

Season both sides with salt and pepper.

In a saute pan, add some oil to the pan and bring to the point when the oil “shimmers”. When the oil is ready, place the “presentation” side down first. The presentation side is the side that will be up when put on the plate. Once you put the fish on the pan, do not touch it. Leave it alone! Look for some browness to show up on the edges. But be careful, tonight I wasn’t watching and it was a bit browner than I wanted. Once you see the color you want, flip the filet over. Turn off the heat and place the pan in the pre-heated oven. Leave in the oven for no longer than 3-5 minutes. Depending on the thickness of your filet, it may need to be in longer.

I like my salmon just before it is fully cooked. Take it out of the oven and let sit for 5 minutes.

I didn’t have a vegetable tonite. So my plate was missing some greens. I didn’t have anyting in the fridge except for carrots and I wasn’t in the mood for them! :)

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When growing up my parents and their friends often got together. On special occasions they would have Lechón  (it’s also called Litson) which is a roasted suckling pig. Traditionally, it is roasted on a spit and it cooks for several hours. Other methods is to cook is in a hole dug into the ground and lined with banana leaves and hot coals. Living in Chicago as I child, I couldn’t imagine my parent’s friends digging holes or having a coal pit large enough for a baby pig. I’m sure someone in Chicago did this for a living as there are plenty of places you can order a sucking pig these days.

So back to the baby suckling. All I can remember is that the skin was golden and crimson. I also remember the crackling sound it made as the first cleaver came down – that sound meant good eats were coming. Traditionally it is served with a litson sauce which is made with liver. [NOTE 10/19/08 I bought some Lechon Sauce at Manila Market in Lake Forest. Come to find out its a vinegar, breadcrumbs and other spices] I didn’t like it. So what else was on the table? A bottle of Jufran Banana Ketchup. Yep, banana ketchup. Made with bananas, it strangely is “red”. In the Philippines, it is actually manufactured by Heinz. It is thick, sweet and has a little tang.

I would walk up to the table with my bamboo plate holder and a single, thin paper plate that always soaked thru. I would grab the tongs and place 2 to 3 1-inch squares of litson on my plate, some fresh rice and the Jufran sauce.

I was in heaven.

It probably explains why I grew up to be such a big dude! [smile]

Well when we weren’t at a big party, my mom would make it at home maybe 2-3 times a year. Somehow, roasting an entire suckling pig was a bit much for my mom [smirk] so she did the next best thing: a Roasted Pork Belly.

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Pork Belly basically is the same place you get sliced bacon, except its single piece. Making it is actually very simple. Here in the OC, finding a pork belly piece is quite hard. You will not see it at Ralphs or Albertsons. You will find them in the butcher sections of your large Asian market like 99 Ranch. You might also try several of the carnecerias in the area. My seasonings? Simple, salt and pepper. I make sure that the skin is dry and pat it down with some paper towels. Next you want to “score” the skin. This will help with rendering alot of the fat that will come out as you cooking. Once scored (I use a diamond pattern, much like on a ham) and season liberally with salt and pepper. I do the underside too.  Next I take some canola oil and spread some over the top mixing it with the salt and pepper. Make sure to spread it out and get it into the scores you made. I like to place mine in a jelly roll pan lined with foil and a cooling rack inside of it. By elevating the roast off the pan, you let the hot air circulate around the pork. You also allow the rendered fat to fall and not let the roast sit in its own fat.

You’ll want to set you over at 275-300 degrees. Yes, at 275-300 it will take about 3-4 hours depending on how big your piece is. Tonight’s pork belly was about 2 lbs. Once you put it in the oven, don’t touch it, don’t sprinkle it with water, don’t open the door. Leave it alone! [smile]. I have tried other methods asking you to mist water on the skin supposedly to make it blister. No need.

Check it at about 3 hours. You will see that the “litson” skin is nice and crispy and that a lot of the fat has rendered and is on the bottom of the pan. If the skin isn’t crispy yet, increase the temp by 100 degrees and put back for another 15 minutes or so. Once it is cooked, take it out of the oven and let it sit for at least 5 minutes. 

Transfer to a cutting board. I recommend a serrated knife for cutting. Cut into 1 inch cubes. It may be easier to flip the Litson on its skin and cut from the underside.

Tonight, I could only handle about 2 pieces. The skin was sooooo crispy and the meat was very tender. I can’t wait to get home for lunch on Friday so I can have some!! If you save it for the next day, it is possible the skin will lose its crispness. I still it under a preheated broiler for 1 minute, being careful not to burn the skin. Sometimes, mom would take the cut pieces and flash fry it real quick.

I couldn’t make it to the Filipino market tonite, so I used a third alternative sauce: sweet chili sauce. You can find this at any grocery store. The sweetness and heat of the sauce contrasts nicely with the pork.