Playing with your food is encouraged!

This entry originates back to the mid 80’s, when my father saw an apple turn into a bird. He had been watching a cooking show, probably one of the three that was on television at the time (I think he learnt this from Wok with Yan). He taught us how and it was always a fun opportunity to play with your food and a great way to get the family into a fruit-related activity, since there are hardly enough of those nowadays!

Now, fast forward 20 years and I was planning a little picnic at English Bay Beach in Vancouver with a friend and I thought to myself, no offence to the apple, but I should raise the bar a notch by using an asian pear (since they are amazing!)  To my surprise, it was a major hit even to the point of naming the bird Hank and taking some candid photos of him along the beach!

Hank with the Inukshuk

Hank's profile shot (his better side)

Hank was not injured, nor even in danger, we were simply going for some "edgier" shots

If you’re interested in learning how the “magic” happens, I have a link here for you…

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1140596/apple_bird_garnish/

Ketchup colored glasses in Los Angeles

Although the majority of my restaurant reviews will be in Vancouver for the time being, I was thinking of a restaurant I checked out in L.A. last month with some friends called Ketchup. It was suggested to us by the hotel concierge and was worth the walk down Sunset Blvd.

As you walk in, you realize Ketchup is not simply the name on the menu, but rather the theme throughout. Everything is red and their calling card is a platter of 5 different types of ketchup (I can’t recall them all, but I do remember a homemade ketchup, a chipotle ketchup and a wasabi ketchup, good but not with the kick I was hoping for).

Ketchup x 5

 So since we were 3, we ordered 3 appetizers and although the wings and Kobe sliders were good, the mini chicken tacos were by far the best and the spicy guacamole was worth licking the spoon clean!

Wings, Kobe Sliders and Mini Tacos

For the main entree, I ordered the BBQ baby back ribs which were done just perfectly and their bbq sauce had a nice little tang to it. However, what I was really interested in was the accompanying dish which was Mac “n” Cheese with white truffle and dungeness crab and it defintely passed the test!

BBQ Baby Back Ribs with Mac "n" Cheese

If you’re in Hollywood and looking for something fun and tasty, give Ketchup a shake!

http://www.dolcegroup.com/ketchup/

Purple slurpin’ in Northern Ontario

Today is nothing you can make, but rather hopefully you’ll let me tell you a little story of my journey accross Canada, so thank you in advance and maybe you’ll be intrigued to have a cold little treat afterwards.

I watched the movie “One Week” the other day.  For those that haven’t heard of it, the premise of the movie is a guy (Joshua Jackson) who for reasons I won’t divulge here (since it’s worth renting) travels across Canada. Watching it made me think back to my cross-country drive from Montreal to Vancouver.

I ended up doing the drive solo, so my mission was to accomplish as many km’s as possible every day. At the urging of my parents, we loaded the van with a cooler full of chocolate milk, sandwiches, fruits and a massive bag of some type of party mix (including wasabi peas mmmm). With snacks galore for my 5000 km journey, my stops consisted of necessities such as sleeping, gas, stretching, the occasional treat to maintain my sanity and random picture taking.

So I have a weakness in life, it is a Slurpee from 7-11, I’ve been drinking them since I was about 10, so it’s been 20+ years and I’ve enjoyed every moment!  As I was on day 2 of my drive and realizing how enormous the province of Ontario is, I saw a sweet sight which happened to be a gas station paired up with a 7-11. I accomplished a re-fill, stretching and a treat all in one stop!

Now, i’m going to share with you all here…for me, I must drink a Slurpee with a purple straw, I don’t know why, I just do. 7-11 offers various colors, my first one was with a purple straw and I haven’t looked back. I also have to mix and match my flavors. It always must start with Coke, the middle layer can be whatever I’m feeling on a particular day, be it orange, grape, Dr. Pepper, Sprite, whatever, but the top must always again be Coke. Again, don’t ask me why, it just has to be that way!

Coke/Sprite/Coke combo with a purple straw

As for the random picture taking, probably my favorite was the random goose by the side of the road in Wawa, ON.

One big goose!

Even from a distance, one big goose!

For those that need a tutorial on a Slurpee, check out its history here,

http://www.slurpee.com/Slurpee101/Story.aspx

When in Vancouver, eat sushi…

As much fun as it is to cook, sometimes it’s just easier to go out for dinner. Luckily, in Vancouver there is no shortage of restaurants, especially sushi! After doing a little shopping with a friend, sushi seemed like a perfect choice and we stumbled into Britannia Sushi on 1016 Commercial Dr. At first glance, this place is a prime candidate for Restaurant Makeover as the walls are depressing and the lighting is poor. Aestetics aside, we decided to give the 18 piece special with miso soup priced at $5.75 a chance. We shared the special which consisted of a Kappa roll (cucumber), tuna roll and California roll. We also ordered the Veggie Dragon (yam tempura with avocado on top) and an order of Goma-Ae (japanese spinach with a peanut sauce) for starters.

It was my first time eating Goma-Ae, which was good, but not what you’d call a large appetizer. The sushi came very quickly and we were pleasantly surprised with the quality. It was well-rolled, nicely presented and tasty. The Dragon roll with avocado was the hit of the meal and luckily we had a camera with us as it became an interactive meal of sushi eating and sushi picture taking.

The total was just under $15 and we certainly got our money’s worth. I would certainly go back again, but they do need a visit from Igor and the Restaurant Makeover crew!

Veggie Dragon Roll with Avocado

Veggie Dragon Roll with Avocado

Britannia Sushi

1016 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3W9

604-251-1155 – Open 7 days a week

It’s sweet like honey…cake

One of the benefits of hosting a dinner party among friends is the sweet realization of leftovers! Not leftovers in the sense that it wasn’t good (of course), but more in the sense that as host, you went above and beyond the call of duty and there was too much food to eat!

Honey Chiffon Cake

This evening’s treat was a slice of the dish I was most proud from the other night, sweet sweet honey cake!

It was the perfect touch to finish off the dinner amongst the 8 of us and will wonders never cease, it is three days later, it is still perfectly moist and delicious for a bedtime snack!

Honey Chiffon Cake

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of oil
• 1 lb. liquid honey (1 1/2 cup)
• 3 cups of flour
• 3 tsp. of baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. of baking soda
• 1 cup of cold coffee or tea
• 1/2 cup of nuts (optional)
• 1/2 cup of raisins (optional)

Beat eggs and sugar. Add oil and honey and blend well. Combine dry ingredients and add alternately with liquid. Stir in nuts and/or raisins (if you added them of course). Pour into an ungreased 10″ tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Then invert and cool completely before removing from pan. Taken from Second Helpings, Please!

Note – I did not have a 10″ tube pan, so I used a loaf pan which explains why it it’s not circular. Ideally, it should have been a tube pan because I ended up having to keep it in the oven longer because it wasn’t baking evenly. The ends baked quicker than the middle, so I covered the ends with aluminum foil to prevent burning.

Proudly displaying my latest creation

It does taste better with friends!

So tonight will be my shortest entry to date as i’m pretty tired, cooking for about 30 hours in a 4×4 (feet, not metres) kitchen will do that! My attempt at a full-blown Rosh Hashanah meal for 8 people turned out pretty well, although there were a few hiccups along the way, namely some unevenly cooked matzoh balls and a roast that had to be coaxed along, but you learn and move on, right?

The dish I was most proud of was the honey cake…turned out great, I just have to buy a cake pan and not use a loaf pan that didn’t cook it quite as evenly as I would have liked.

Recipes and comments to follow during the week, including hopefully a guest appearance recipe for some delicious garlic mashed potatoes!

2 final thoughts

“How did my grandmothers (and my mother nowadays) make it look so easy?”

Thanks to my new Vancouver friends (and old London friend) for allowing me to cook for them this evening.

Playing with Kahlua – Chocolate pudding and whipped cream

When I first moved to Vancouver, I knew a grand total of 6 people and it was easy to feel out of place, so in an attempt to feel somewhate settled, it seemed natural to fall back to something that made me feel at “home” and that happened to be the kitchen. So it made perfect sense to “whip” up something new and have a couple of people over for some dessert and drinks.

I had recently seen some pudding on the Food Network (which I will definitely also be writing about from time to time) and I dug up a recipe and produced something amazing and easy!  No real explanation is needed for execution, the ingredients and directions speak for themselves. For fun, I threw in a little Kahlua, which you could totally taste, it was chocolate with a little kick

For the whipped cream, I just wanted a color to contrast the black pudding, so again, why not try something new?! The whipped cream was easy too (easier of course if you have an electric mixer and not a whisk). It was my first time using whipping cream and it was amazing to watch it transform into a non-liquid, especially with a whisk, I thought it would never happen! Oh and for continuity, I also spilled in a little Kahlua into the whipped cream at the very end. The Kahlua turned it slightly off-white, but you could definitely tell there was something in there.

For presentation, I used my great white square bowls given to me by my sister, but for fun, I also tried it in a small clear glass and was very pleased with how it looked. So the lesson is to not only to try new ingredients and recipes, but try random things in your kitchen for presentation, you never know what will look good.

Oh and for the record, I now know more than 6 people…in case you were feeling bad for me!

Simply easy and delicious chocolate pudding (Recipe adapted from Second Helpings, Please!)

2/3 cup of sugar

1/3 cup of cocoa

3 tbsp. of cornstarch

1/4 tsp. of salt

2 1/4 cup of milk

1 tsp. of vanilla

Kahlua (as much as you’d like – just not too much and make it runny!)

Whipped Cream (see below)

Blend first 4 ingredients in a saucepan. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil 1 minute. Blend in vanilla. Chill thoroughly. Serves 6.

Whipped Cream (Recipe from Giada’s Kitchen)

1 cup of whipping cream

1 tbsp. of confectioners’ sugar

1 tbsp. of liqueur (of your choice)

Whip the cream to soft peaks in a medium bowl using a whisk or electric hand mixer. (I of course, keep forgetting to buy a mixer, so if you’re using a whisk, it is doable, but be prepared for a 15 minute workout!) Add the confectioners’ sugar and liqueur and whip to combine.

Cheeseburger cupcakes – enough said!

This is what food blogging is all about, sharing among old friends and new readers (and maybe new friends) little treasures like a Cheeseburger cupcake! So credit for this goes to my friend Kate who put up a great link which can be found below. Her page has spawned cheeseburger cupcakes all over the place! Her page has a great how-to photo gallery, so I will let that be the instructional side, while I will offer a couple of suggestions and some other photos of my attempts.

I’ve now made these twice and it’s something that you will perfect as you learn what works best for you. As you can see from the pictures, the vanilla cupcake is the “bun” and the chocolate cupcake is the “patty”. What I have found is that a more realistic “patty” can be made by pouring only half the cake mix in the muffin tin (i’ll explain the use of the other half below) and then slicing off the top giving you a flat patty that sits flush on the bottom of the vanilla “bun”. However, more importantly this flat surface allows you to load up the “condiments” without them sliding off of it had you left it with a pointy cupcake top for the “patty”.

Wow, I hope that made sense!

With the extra chocolate mix, I baked it in a shallow cake tin, cut them in thin strips and froze them to serve with the burgers in an attempt to make chocolate fries! They didn’t look as realistic as I had hoped, but I was happy with the idea. Of course, since there were fries, I figured they should be accompanied with something, so I made chocolate pudding for a “gravy”. I’ve made this recipe before to huge success and I’ll post the recipe tomorrow along with a homemade whipped cream recipe that together makes an elegant yet simple dessert! https://tastesbetterwithfriends.wordpress.com/category/pudding/

Cheeseburger cupcake, chocolate fries and chocolate gravy pudding

Back to the cheeseburgers now, the condiments are plentiful…

• There are a bunch of different colors of icing to simulate mustard, ketchup, mayo.
• For the “cheese” portion, I used vanilla icing and the played around with red and yellow coloring to make orange.
• Green coloring with shredded coconut to make relish or lettuce
• I cut up maraschino cherries to make slices of tomatoes
• The finishing touch are some sesame seeds on top of the bun, simply smear a bit of butter and then sprinkle so they stick.
• For presentation purposes, it’s important to try and line the outside of the patty with icing so when the bun goes on top, you see the “ketchup, mustard, etc” oozing out like it normally would.

I’ve now made them twice, once for a birthday party and the other time for a potluck dinner and they are still being talked about.  If you ever need something that will make you memorable, look to the cheeseburger cupcake!

Tastes better with friends

http://www.flickr.com/photos/katedw/sets/72157617528706606/

Say it with me…Challah

Although my plan is to cook/bake everything for my Rosh Hashanah dinner, I haven’t yet tackled the art of baking bread and I wouldn’t subject my friends to my first attempt!

So another traditional Jewish food is a sweet bread called Challah (pronounced Hallah, well, not quite how it’s pronounced, but for simplicity we’ll use this pronounciation) or sometimes referred to as egg bread. I’ll ask you to visualize while looking at the picture, the dough has initially been rolled out individually into long rolls then braided toegther before being baked. For Rosh Hashanah, the challah is typically round which signifies the cyclical nature of the year and how life is on-going. Like the apples with honey that I mentioned earlier, the sweet bread is symbolic to the sweet year that lies ahead and to really drive the point home, the bread is also eaten with honey for some extra sweetness!

So still learning my way around Vancouver, I did what anyone would do and did a google search for “Jewish bakeries in Vancouver” and I came across Sabras Kosher Bakery at 3844 Oak Street.  I gave them a quick call at (604) 733-4912 and placed my order for 2 challah’s, one with raisins (which is delicious un-toasted, toasted, with butter, with jam, with anything!) and the other with chocolate chips (which i’ve never had, but sweet bread with chocolate chips, come on!) Each was is $7.00, not a bad deal, it’s a huge loaf of bread!

My advice to you in Vancouver, Montreal, London or wherever you are nowadays, stop inside your local bakery and ask if they are baking challah bread (or egg bread) since it’s that time of year and treat yourself  to something different and definitely delicious!

Apples with Honey…Give it a shot!

So I’m thinking of trying my hand at cooking a full-0ut dinner this weekend for some friends to introduce them to Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and I’m beyond excited at the prospect of having apples with honey (among other dishes, which I will tell you about during the week). 

So simple, but it’s something you have to try, simply cut up some Granny Smith or some McIntonsh apples and pour yourself a little bowl of honey for dipping and go nuts! Mmmm, something about the sweetness of the honey with the tart taste of the apple, you’ll be wondering where this has been your whole life!

For the curious mind…the sweet honey represents the sweet year that people wish upon each other to begin a new year. On that sweet note, enjoy!