Woooaaaah.... Flavor Trippin'

Miracle fruit is an evergreen plant. It produces berries that effect one's taste receptors... making sour foods taste sweet! The active protein in the plant is called miraculin (obviously named by an adorable biologist) and it is believed to interact with the taste receptors causing this change in flavor perception.

Meet David Nguyen; he will host your unique culinary experience for this evening. Naturalist and miracle berry purveyor, David organizes these flavor tripping tastings and promotes a natural soap—a fruit that IS soap... I think. David will explain to you how the berry works, and then issues a warning: although the food tastes different, it will effect you the same. I mean, if you suck a whole lemon and drink a shot of tabasco...

To get the maximum effect, swish the skin and juice of the berry around your mouth for about two minutes. Be sure not to bite the pit, as it is bitter and disgusting. Spit the pit out, and for the next 30–60 minutes, you will experience sour foods like never before. 

The best part of my experience was the lemons—sucking lemon and lime slices tasted like candy! Guinness was a close second; although I read it tasted like a chocolate shake on the Interwebs prior to the tasting, I didn't quite get that sensation. It was exceedingly delicious, but difficult for me to put into words. Salt and vinegar chips—one of my favorite snacks—was horrid. A sweet and salty potato chip was not quite my cup of tea.

The tab was $20, which included the miracle berry, some wine and Guinness, and an assortment of sour treats. It was a great experience, and friends and I really enjoyed doing a little something out of the ordinary. A highly recommended unique experience!

Lamb Chops with Red Wine Reduction and Red Kale

Kapes and I recently had the treat of shopping at Newflower Market, a new, independent organic-ish grocer in Austin.

We walked away with lamb chops and kale, two things we had never cooked before, but I was determined to make them amazing. I really think we succeeded.

Lamb Chops with Red Wine Reduction

1 large glass of red wine

2 large shallots

3 large rosemary sprigs, chopped finely.

2 midsize (6-8oz.) lamb chops

2 tablespoons of butter

salt and pepper

Marinate the lamb chops in the red wine with some salt and pepper for a few hours in the fridge. When you remove the chops, save the wine.

Preheat your over to 300.

Heat the butter in a saucepan. Chop the shallots finely and add them to the pan, cooking them until they are translucent. Add the red wine and bring to a simmer. Reduce the red wine slowly.

Rub the lamb chops with the rosemary, salt and pepper. Heat a pan to a very high temperature, preferably a cast-iron skillet. Sear the chops for 2 minutes on both sides, creating a slight char on the surface. Transfer the chops to a oven dish and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the chops are pink and tender throughout.

By now your sauce should be thick and dark. Pour over the chops and serve immediately.

Serves 2

Red Kale

Cut the long, stemmy ends off of the kale. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and drop in the kale. Boil for ten minutes, or longer. You pretty much can't overdo this.

Drain the kale, and pat it as dry as possible. Heat some oil in a pan and add a touch of garlic, frying it until it is aromatic. Drop in the kale, and saute for a few minutes. Serve immediately.

-----

I also made green beans with almond slivers. I just cooked them both in butter until the almonds toasted up. They were unbelievably delicious.

I've found that pan searing and baking is a good option for making steaks and chops at home, as it tends to produce a more tender final product that is pink throughout. It is my understanding that many top steakhouses cook their steaks this way, as well. So far, I have had nothing but success with this technique, and it's great for people who live in apartments or can't grill outside for whatever reason.

Bon appetit!

Bleu Cheese Encrusted Baked Chicken

Tonight, MikeDub said to me "I love parmesan crusted chicken. I wish we could do the same with bleu cheese," at which point a culinary experiment began... The result was a fantastic, yet simple baked chicken dish. Enjoy!

Bleu Cheese Encrusted Baked Chicken

The Crust

1 c. flour
Bleu cheese crumbles (just less than 1/4 cup)
Chopped almond slivers
Salt and Pepper

Encrusting
• Remove most of the skin from about eight chicken drumsticks using a kitchen knife. Although the skin is "nature's oven bag" for keeping the moisture in baked chicken, this dish doesn't need it at all.
• Beat two eggs
• Dip the chicken in the egg, and then quickly into the Crust mixture
• Coat with egg and Crust again, if desired.
• Bake on a lightly greased pan at 375 ºF for 30 minutes
• Flip the chicken. You may need to free the drumsticks from the bottom of the pan using a spatula, so that the Crust doesn't peel clean off!
• Bake about 20–30 minutes more (cooked chicken internal temperature=165 ºF)
• Serve and enjoy!

Easy Citrus Fish

With the state of the ocean today, it is difficult to find fresh fish. I used to go to the fish counter with an idea in my head of what I would purchase, but these days the upbringing of the fish constantly comes in to question.

Well, the ONLY fish this week at the HEB fish counter that was not farm raised was the orange roughy (which isn't orange at all, rather a delightful white fish). Keeping with the name of the fish, I decided to citrus it up! Here you are, pescatarians...

Double Orange Citrus Roughy

Line a shallow casserole dish with thick orange slices
Place Roughy filets (rinsed and patted dry) atop the bed of orange slices
Top with salt, pepper, lemon and lime slices, and a few cilantro sprigs
Bake on 400 ºF for 20–25 minutes, until fish is flaky in the middle

Side Suggestion: Coconut-Cilantro Jasmine Rice

Make 1 cup Jasmine Rice according to package
During the last two minutes of cooking, add chopped cilantro (to taste)
After rice is done, mix in 2 tsp. of the thick cream from a can of coconut cream

Wink Restaurant, Austin TX

This post is long overdue. For MikeDub's birthday, all he wanted was to go dutch on a fancy pants dinner at Wink restaurant. I lament that I do not have pictures of our gorgeous dinner to share; however, that night was about us enjoying a birthday dinner and not getting that picture perfect photo of the food.

http://winkrestaurant.com/

Wink is pretty awesome. They've got the self-professed slow food thing going on, and it makes for a great special night out. All of the carnivore's delights come in the form of  happy meat from farmers markets, and they boasted having their sea scallops overnighted FedEx.

The dining room is tiny, and there is an unattached wine bar across the way in this tiny strip mall, located at 12th and Lamar just behind Whole Earth Provision Co. The bar has a separate bar menu (although you can get anything from the dinner menu out there as well), and the extra tall mini burgers they carried out from the kitchen for the bar looked absolutely delightful. We did not go into the wine bar; we decided to save the experience for another evening.

Perhaps this could be a quest for Kapes and her wine blogging cohort, although happy hour will be required to make that a reasonably priced experience.

Well, let's get to it: our meal and the prices.

MikeDub and I split a tasty bleu cheese laden salad, and then moved on to my personal favorite food: sea scallops. They were the jumbo sea scallops, which I'm pretty particular about. I can't say that they were the best I've ever had, but I am from New England where they don't even have to be FedEx-ed in... Oh, but they were served atop a bed of these long mushrooms with tiny tops (forgive me, I waited too long to blog this and can't remember the name) and truffle. I had never eaten truffle before, but knew what it was immediately upon tasting it. Fabulous combo, although I wasn't quite on board with the "doneness" of the jumbo scallop.

For dinner, I had the lamb shank. It was the texture of brisket and was falling apart—almost difficult to keep on the fork! It was some of the best lamb I ever tasted. MikeDub had the antelope, which they prepared so well I could hardly detect any gaminess at all.

It was MikeDub's birthday, so we did desert. If you can even call it that. The Chocolate Soup was a meal in itself. Creamy chocolate soupiness with soft spongy "cookies," if you will, laid in the liquid. It was a little too sweet and I am not that much of a dessert person, but MikeDub really seemed to enjoy the decadence...

With four glasses of wine and a nice service discount they gave to MikeDub, dinner rolled in at a smooth $120, and was nearly paid for by a bill left by Mom and Dad :) Not for everyday dining on my budget, but prime for a special night.

Thanksgiving Recipes

I have not a single picture of the feast we created to share! However, I would still like to give a few tips and recipes that I found delightful. A food blog that I fancy called Serious Eats posed to its readers whether Thanksgiving was about the turkey or the sides. I love my sides, but this year for me it was the ham.

Starters

Stuffed Mushrooms


Soften: 2 tbsp soy-based "Better Than Cream Cheese"
            1 tbsp butter

Mix in: about 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
             salt and pepper
             1 tbsp parmesan cheese

Sprinkle with parmesan and bake on 350 ºF for 30 minutes.

Deviled Eggs

1. Cover with an inch of water and bring to a gentle boil. Remove from heat immediately, cover and let stand for about 18 minutes.

2. Run cold water into pot of eggs until eggs are cool. (Eggs can be stored in fridge at this point)

3. Once eggs are peeled and washed, cut them in half the long way and place whites on a dish (or a disposable aluminum pan--it is Thanksgiving after all; someone will need it for leftovers!)

4. Mash the yolks in a bowl with a fork, and then mash in the following ingredients (amounts are approximate for a dozen eggs):

• Mayo - 4 tbsp
• Vinegar - 1-2 tbsp, to taste
• 3 tsp sweet relish
• salt and pepper

5. Using a cake bag or a plastic bag with a corner cut off, add the filling into the whites.

6. Sprinkle LIGHTLY with cayenne pepper

Meats

Turkey

We have a meat injection syringe and needle. We made the injection out of chicken broth made from bullion, crushed lavender leaves, and a few other italian spices. We shot that bird up till it was fat and cooked it in an oven bag. Moist and delicious!


Ham

Ham comes fully cooked, so I stole a little slab for our ham, tomato, and cheddar breakfast quiche early in the day. The rest was glazed, and then baked for an hour or so.

Kapes' amazin' glaze

On medium heat, stirring constantly, cook:

          1/3 cup brown sugar
          2 tbsp honey

Once dark and thick, add in horseradish and spicy mustard to taste (I use over 1 tbsp of each). Dump all over ham. Bake.

Sides

Scalloped Potatoes

I use this recipe. I do scald the milk, although I researched it and I'm not sure if it does anything. I wasn't about to find out the hard way on Turkey Day, though...

Stuffing

Giblet stuffing. Mom's recipe. I'm sure she'd give it to you if you asked...

Spicy-Sweet Potatoes

Outstanding! I baked the sweet potatoes in foil in the oven with the turkey--super easy!

Mash the insides with just a sprinkle of BROWN SUGAR, a few tablespoons of BUTTER, a generous amount of CHILE POWDER, a little bit of CAYENNE PEPPER, and a pinch of SALT. Taste frequently while mashing to get them to the desired spiciness. Bake on 350 ºF for 30 min, and then sprinkle lightly with brown sugar.

Green Beans

Steamed in the veggie steamer and seasoned.

East Side Indian

For the longest time, I thought strip malls were good for nothing. But Austin has changed my tune, and I now realize that strip malls are good for one thing: Indian food. Off the top of my head, I can't think of a single Indian joint that isn't part of a strip mall! There are a great deal of good Indian buffets in Austin, and I like each for different reasons.

India Kitchen is the subject of this blog. Nestled away in the strip mall near the intersection of Riverside and Pleasant Valley, this restaurant is excellent and, as a bonus it is close to me! One of the really nice things about this particular buffet is that the naan is not put out (at least at dinner). It's so nice to have hot, fresh naan brought right to the table. Also, their naan is a bit different from what I'm used to. It's a bit thicker and chewier; it really has its own thing going on.

I have been to India Kitchen many times now due to the proximity, price, quality, and instant gratification (of the buffet, of course). One of my favorite dishes is the spicy eggplant. I'm a huge fan of the lamb meat balls, although with the outstanding vegetarian choices, I often opt for a meatless dinner when I am here. Last trip I had a bowl of the lentil soup, which was absolutely outstanding. India Kitchen is a hidden gem on the East side. Highly recommended.

Primafeta Pasta

A vegetarian delight! This pasta dish features crisp vegetables, pine nuts, and feta cheese.

Ingredients:
6–8 oz. medium shells, cooked al dente
1/4 cup pine nuts
3 cloves minced garlic
1 small onion, diced
1–2 carrots, sliced thin
asparagus (1/2 bunch)
fresh spinach
cherry or grape tomatoes
feta cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Saute onion, garlic, carrot, pine nuts, and asparagus in olive on medium–medium high heat. Once the asparagus begins to soften, add in the pasta (I sometimes add a bit more olive oil so that the pasta fries up a bit.) Cook 5 minutes. Add in feta crumbles and spinach and cook until the spinach begins to wilt. Add the tomatoes in for the last 2–3 minutes of cooking.

South Congress Cafe

Right before Halloween, during a trip to Lucy in Disguise, we happened upon the South Congress Cafe for brunch. The place was packed, and full of loud, South Austin atmosphere. The staff was amazingly friendly, and we had a great time.

The Bloody Marys were excellent. MikeDub and I split everything up, and that was fortunate. The food was a little heavy, and a big bowl of andouille sausage-enhanced gumbo and a breakfast bite left us stuffed. The gumbo was delicious; spiced perfectly, and featured a thick, dark base.

The highlight of my brunch was the egg-topped crab cake. Smothered in a delightful sauce and reminiscent of eggs benedict on speed, this prosciutto bacon topped wonder was amazing. The tab wasn't bad, but this spot was definitely an occasional treat.

Cuban Pork Roast

This is a delicious, flavorful, zero effort dish that can cook all day. Cook at a super low temperature for 12 hours to give it a pulled-pork texture, or at just a bit warmer and faster to create a super-tender roast.

3 lb. Pork shoulder or butt, bone in

One Pineapple, cored and sliced into strips

One and a half large red onions, in quarters

One jalepeno pepper, sliced

a few tablespoons of olive oil

juice of 2 limes

Rub

----------

plenty of

Salt

Pepper

Cumin

Oregano

just a little

White Pepper

Cayenne

Rub the roast with plenty of the spice mixture. Add more until the meat is well covered.

Arrange the pineapple and onion in the bottom of your slow cooker.

Lay the roast on the onion/pineapple layer, top with the jalapenos, lime juice and olive oil.

Slow cook on medium low until an internal temperature of 160-165 is reached. It should take about 6 hours. You can finish it off in the oven at 250 if it is taking too long. Check temperature frequently. If you leave the house, turn it all the way down. These things are easy to overcook.

The Autumnal Equinox

At 1 AM this evening, Kapes and I sat down to lament the horrid shape of our liquor cabinet. Like many in disrepair, the only bottles we had left contained the kind of things that sit on the shelf for years at a time. Orange liqueur, vermouth, amaretto, cognac, a tiny splash of shitty vodka and a variety of bitters. Tragic.

Many a joke were passed back and forth as to just how sorry our current lot was, and what a miserable cocktail machine it had become.

I happened to bring home a great bottle of port that Kapes and I were enjoying, when it dawned on me that port probably makes a decent cocktail ingredient. I immediately googled "port cocktails" and the very first recipe that popped up called for port, orange liqueur, and amaretto. Christ. Even more called for port, vermouth and lemon, in some combination. It seems that our desolate bar is prime for port cocktails.

So we whipped together some "Autumnal Equinoxes". This drink looks, smells, and tastes like purple juice box kindergarten fun times. Not exactly what I go looking for, but fun, nonetheless. And it finally gave me a way to use up the stupid liquor that sits undrunken for years at a time.

Autumnal Equinox

2 oz port

1 oz orange liqueur

1/2 oz amaretto

pour over ice in a rocks glass, stir, drink.

Prestige Portfolio Tasting

Woo-hoo! Industry wine events! In absolutely no other circle is it appropriate to drink massive amounts of wine before happy hour, much less before lunch. I tasted almost 100 wines and managed to stain both my teeth and hands in a most unprofessional fashion. Oh well.

Paggi House was the setting today, and it made for a fabulous venue. Proprietors Tom and Tori Tinnon are former managers of Cork and Co, and it's great to see just what they've done with this ancient building. Tres chic. The back area is an outdoor bar built around a well. How cool is that? They quite thoughtfully provided us with some lovely cheeses and small bites to keep us fed as the wine took its effect. Tasty!

Anyhow, Prestige Wines distributes a huge number of different vinters' products, and todays offerings were most definitely top-notch. My Cork and Co. compatriots and I tasted verticals of Chateau Montelena, L'Ecole, and a host of other excellent labels.

As you may know, I am head over heels in love with the wines being produced in Washington state, particularly those made in Walla Walla and Columbia Valley. As you can imagine, I was thrilled to find one of my absolute favorites in attendance, Wines of Substance.

They have a pretty nifty label that approximates the periodic table of elements, but rather than H for Hydrogen we have Ch for Chardonnay and M for Merlot. Neat. Don't let the kitchy label trick you, the juice is stellar.

Their merlot is a huge standout, with great mouthfeel and intese aromatics. If you see any of these anywhere, I must recommend that you pick them up, particularly because they all clock in under $20.

The highlight, though, had to be Seghesio. I love all of the Seghesio wines. They're a family owned vineyard that I've blogged about recently. In particular, I swooned for their 2007 Sonoma Zin, which has since disappeared from shelves due to high demand. Ms. Cathy Seghesio was happy to inform me that while 2007 Sonoma is all gone, their 2007 Old Vine Zinfandel is still around, and boy is it fantastic. Like the Sonoma, but deeper, richer, and overall simply more excellent. Pick it up at Spec's for about $30. Here's a nifty pic of me and Cathy, toasting to our good fortune. They also have an excellent Sangiovese, a new vintage of the Sonoma bottling, and a Petite Syrah that's a little too peppery for my taste. Overall, though, fantastic. And Cathy is a sweetheart.

Then, I realized that it was 3:30, and I had to get to work immediately. Sigh. At least there's wine there, too.

I entered the drawing for a Nebuchadnezzar (quadruple size bottle) of the Seghesio 2008, but have to yet to receive the phone call informing me that I have won. Cathy, if you're reading this, please get in touch ASAP, and I'll save you a glass.

Kismet Cafe (411 W 24th St-Right off the drag)

I've been eating at Kismet for six years now. First of all, it is close to campus and affordable. Working late nights in the lab, I appreciated the fact that I could get a fantastic plate of gyro meat and grilled chicken over rice and have leftovers for a midnight snack.

Kismet Cafe was also the first place that I ate gyro, and I must say I'm glad to be typing that word since I bastardize it every time I attempt to say it. Kismit gyro is very, very good; it seems to be tenderized and perhaps reconstituted. I'm not sure, but it is amazingly tender and delicious. The sauce that it comes with compliments it perfectly.

Inspired by my newfound love of gyro, I went to a couple other Mediterranean restaurants. My search has not at all been exhaustive (yet), but Kismet remains in the lead for me. I can't review this place properly, as I instantly became obsessed with the gyro meat. I've had the hummus (excellent) on the side of the P3 plate, which is my Kismet fail-safe dish.

If you go to Kismet, don't settle for the downstairs seating. There's a lovely little balcony that you might miss if you don't venture to the back of the restaurant and head up the little staircase. The delightful balcony is pictured below.

Chorizo-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin (at Z-Tejas)

Just before going veggie, I finally had the opportunity to try this new(er) addition to Z-Tejas's menu, and let me tell you it was out of this world. MikeDub and I split my all time favorite crab-topped chipotle beef tenderloin and the pork tenderloin.  The tenderloin duet hit it home for me.

The chorizo is not typical. At all. There was none of the greasy red runniness that is standard chorizo. It was darker and firm, with an excellent flavor. The pork was exceedingly tender and the sauces that it was served with complimented it terrificly. Served alongside mashed potatoes and a delightful vegetable medley, this dish is definitely worth a try!

The month of vegetables

On October 2nd I ate red meat again for the first time. I did eat fish about twice during the month of September, but boy did that bleu cheese bacon cheeseburger feel weird! The place was Doc's (SoCo), the burger was very good, but the lethargy that followed was quite annoying. Eating veggies, you never really feel full, but the food coma is far more bearable.

The month of September was excellent, I really enjoyed it. I learned more about cooking tofu and vegetable protein, I came up with many new recipes (which I promise to get around to posting), and I realized how difficult it is to be a healthy vegetarian. A healthy vegetarian has to cook a lot at home to maintain a well-balanced diet. Near the end of the month I started taking some vitamin supplements as it is more difficult to get certain B vitamins and calcium from a vegetarian diet. I did learn clever ways to boost my vitamin intake (cream of wheat mixed with multigrain cheerios is like a vitamin supplement in itself!)

I do not have my gallbladder; when I was 23 I got stones and had to have it removed. The healthy veggie diet completely alleviated the discomfort I often feel from certain foods. That was very eye opening for me.

So, I'm eating meat again. It's mostly because in order to have a successful food blog I must eat all foods. I am, however, limiting my meat intake. The benefits of eating more vegetables and soy protein are too good to give up, so I intend to eat meat only a few times a week.

I've been busy lately, but I have many new recipes to share and restaurant reviews I've saved up. I'm challenging myself and MikeDub to a ten posts in ten days challenge to catch up on all of the great things I've been saving up...