THE TRAVEL DIARY – A Quick Note on Cooking (Updated!)

Posted on December 13, 2010 by Doug

I may have previously mentioned that while in Siem Reap, Cambodia, I took part in a cooking class at Le Tigre de Papier, a French owned restaurant recommended by Lonely Planet. Here’s a recap!

It began with a brief walk through the local market, where I witnessed a baby being bathed in a bucket on the floor, next to some writhing black fish and chicken parts. We surveyed the fascinating and delicious fruit and vegetable selections, dried spice mixes, and the like. No purchases were made, it was just to get a sense of the ingredients while our prep-cooks were working away upstairs.

Next it was up to the test kitchen to select and prepare our dishes. We could each choose a starter and entree, and as a group select a dessert. I chose Banana Flower Salad for the starter, and the Cambodian classic Seafood Amok for the main course. Together we decided upon Mango with Sticky Rice for dessert.

The banana flower is a wonderful creature. Harvested before bloom, if you bisect it and peer closely, you can see the mini-banana’s beginning to form in layers between the petals. The insides are diced for the salad, and the outer leaves reserved for presentation and plating.

Amok is something like a stew with a coconut base. The amok paste itself is made up of a mixture of lemongrass, turmeric (the yellow color), finger root (a relative of ginger), and a few other things. Throw in some squid, fish & prawns, some stock, and you’re on your way. I cannot wait to make this back home, I just hope I can find all the ingredients (chinatown ho!).

Along the way we made garnishes, including carrot wedges and a tomato flower, which is far simpler than it might seem. We also made small bowls from banana leaves, with the decidedly non-traditional aid of a stapler.

The results were delicious. Have a look!

I also threw in some of the photos from my night out. My country my beer!

UPDATE – Food lovers watch this!

I was just browsing through Reddit and came upon this fascinating video. If you ever wonder why the food in this part of the world is so flavorful, it might have something to do with this. I can guarantee that the chicken I’m eating on the street (that doesn’t come from KFC) is of the fit and able variety.

FOR SHAME – Bisquick Edition

Posted on October 8, 2010 by Doug

I often pass this yellow plastic atrocity at the market, and have decided to finally take a stand against it. It’s absurd! It’s ludicrous! It is an incredible waste! Just look at it, all that plastic shipped all over the country filled with AIR! It’s barely 1/3 full with “pancake mix” which sounds like a job for professional cooks, but it’s just flour, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder people!

Who is so lazy that they can’t pull out a bowl to pour the usual boxed variety into? We have to manufacture this yellow plastic pancake watering can to save those 30 seconds? FOR SHAME.

KNOW YOUR INGREDIENTS – Jícama

Posted on July 22, 2010 by Doug

Today I tried Jícama for the first time, and let me say, it’s a damn shame we don’t see more use of it in the American culinary tradition.

It’s one of those mystery vegetables that you always pass by in the supermarket, because no one ever showed you what to do with it. Perhaps it looked a little dirty and uncouth. It’s also one of those veggies where the plant and seeds are poisonous, but what you see in the supermarket, which is part of the root, is delicious.

pic website

In any event a friend and I stood in the kitchen for 15 or 20 minutes trying to decide what exactly it tasted like. It’s a little bit like a raw potato. A little bit like a turnip. It has a delicate watery crunch, sort of like water chestnuts or a radish. It has a note of pear, maybe a bit of apple. It kind of tastes like carrot or parsnip, maybe a little like a beet. But really we decided, after some mystery and tastebud hunting, that it tastes quite a lot like a string bean. I feel it’s almost the Tofu of the non-processed vegetable world, able to take on and blend with a variety of flavors. It would be great in a watermelon/mint salad for example, or with soy and ginger flavors.

So pick up a Jícama today, peel it, slice it, and try a few sticks as you add it to your stir fry. You’ll really be glad you did.

RECIPE CHALLENGE – Elvis’ Fried Chicken

Posted on June 29, 2010 by Doug

So I love to cook, and even though my recipe challenges oft’ go agley, I can’t resist trying something new and seemingly impossible.

After trying NYC’s Momofuku Fried Chicken, I knew I had to find and master a recipe of my own. A friend told me of Elvis’ love of fried chicken, and how the recipe that his personal chef used was legendary, worthy of the taste buds of The King himself. Then I learned that none other than Google’s campus chef was the inheritor of said recipe, and cooked it for Google employees. What’s more, he posted the recipe on the Google blog for all to see!

One small problem, the recipe is scaled to Google cafeteria proportions – enough to fry 30 chickens.

Using this recipe calculator, I have scaled back down the recipe to what I think should be enough for 2-3 chickens.

So here it is!

Recipe Adjustment Factor is 0.1 Times Original Amounts

Chicken a la the King
2 1/2 teaspoons Thyme
1 1/4 teaspoons Oregano
1 1/4 teaspoons Basil
2 1/2 teaspoons Onion Powder
2 1/2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
2 1/2 teaspoons Dry Mustard
2 1/2 teaspoons Paprika
1 1/4 teaspoons Chili Powder
2 1/2 teaspoons Celery Seed
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 1/2 teaspoons Coriander
2 1/2 teaspoons Cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
1 1/4 teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
2 1/2 teaspoons Black Pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons White Pepper

(The quantities below I scaled myself, rounding to what felt appropriate)

1.5 QT buttermilk

2-3 organic free range chickens (sectioned)

Mix these amounts of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, then whisk in the buttermilk until it’s thoroughly mixed. Pour the batter over the chickens and marinate for up to five days – keep refrigerated, of course.

For Frying:

Now mix another 4x the above dry ingredients, and add:

1/2 Cup. cornstarch

3 1/2 Cups. all-purpose organic whole wheat flour Dredge the marinated chicken pieces in the dry herbs/flour/cornstarch mixture mix.

Fry the dredged chicken in a large skillet with hot peanut oil @ 375 degrees. Once chicken has reached a golden brown color, finish cooking it in the oven.

PHOTO OF THE DAY – Foodie Edition

Posted on June 17, 2010 by Doug

Here are some of the meals we’ve prepared over the last few days:

Chicken w/ Mustard Crust, Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes, Greens in Vinaigrette.

Local Black Sea Bass, pan fried in butter, later doused with a lemon cream sauce.

Espresso Crème Brûlée – before caramelizing.

THE FIRE DANCE or How to Make Chili on a Beach

Posted on June 15, 2010 by Doug

Preface: My phone shoots really crappy video, and, to my dismay, decided not to record sound.

Y’all need to come out here and visit. Here’s what we’ll do:

In the summer, Monday nights at the beach in Sagaponack are drum circle nights. Who knew? This dynamic expression of la vita brings an eclectic mix of young and old, locals and travelers, to beat drums, dance, and cook out on the beach under starry skies.

How to make improvised Three Bean Chili for Campfire:

Your friend says “Hey, lets go to a drum circle on the beach and cook there. Throw something together to eat! Hurry, I want to catch the sunset.”

Get some red, black, and white canned beans, plus one of corn, with easy open tops. Dice 3 or 4 small potatoes and put them in a tupperware. Throw a can of diced tomatoes over the top. Add a few glugs of olive oil, a few crushed cloves of garlic, and a small diced onion. If you have some peppers on hand, dice them too. I didn’t. Throw an appropriate amount of chili powder, salt, pepper, and herbs into the mix. Load all that into a large pot with metal handles and take it to the beach.

Dig a hole in the sand, build a fire in it. When the fire is reduced mostly to smoldering coals, dump everything into the pot, prop it up on a grill above the fire, and let it sit – covered. The number one problem with beach cooking is keeping sand out of the food. Stir occasionally. When the potatoes are cooked through, it’s done. About 30-40 minutes.

Drink beer.

Serving suggestions: If you forgot to bring spoons, as we did, and none of your beach neighbors have any to borrow, find a couple of appropriately sized sea shells on the beach, rinse them in the sea, dry them in the fire for a hot minute, and use those.

Later, after making some new friends around a campfire, eat an unknown stripe of fish off a strangers machete blade. Have long whimsical conversations about astrology and empowering yourself through energy healing and good vibrations.

THE MORNING ROUTINE

Posted on June 13, 2010 by Doug

6:24 AM? That can’t be right. But lo-and-behold, I awake feeling clear headed and bright, if a little chilled from my first night’s sleep here at the new house. I got to bed around midnight after a busy day of moving, unpacking, kitchen re-organizing, food shopping, and cooking, before finally starting the first season of True Blood. I figure I’ll catch up alongside the new season, which starts tomorrow.

I am very proud of myself for accomplishing what I have this morning. I rarely get to tell myself that. Good job Doug.

I surprised myself by deciding, after a glass of iced tea I had brewed the night before, to sit at the end of the dock and attempt to meditate. I’ve never, so far as I can tell, successfully reached a “meditative state”. I’ve always been confused about what that is supposed to feel like, where your thoughts belong, etc. None-the-less, I sat in my familiar Seiza position from my martial arts days, and focused on my breath, on the stillness of the lake, the chattering of the insects and the bird calls. I am so pleased by the peace of mind and stillness of it all, that I’ve decided to make it a regular morning practice. I started with about 15-20 minutes, but I hope to move to half an hour or so, and if it feels appropriate, move up from there.

7:15 AM and it’s time for my workout. I told myself I’d do this. I will do this. I brought the weight bench and the power blocks. There’s no excuse. Yes – I’ve taken a “before start of workout” picture. No, you can’t see it unless the results are meaningful enough after 12 weeks of this.

So after some yogurt and another glass of tea, at 7:30 I’m doing declined chest presses and bicycle crunches and the like. Half way through I snack on a granola bar. At nearly 9 AM the workout is done. I couldn’t do another pushup if I tried. So off to the kitchen to make a strawberry-banana shake and a couple of eggs.

Now it’s time to bake. I don’t have blueberries today, so it’s to be Strawberry Muffins instead. Why not? I adapt Julia Child’s recipe, and by 10 AM they’ve popped out of the oven. What a wonderful thing a KitchenAid is. The muffins aren’t as raised as I’d like, and the cooking time was considerably shorter than expected, but they seemed to be browning too much. Perhaps the oven runs hot.

I also lack proper cooling trays. This will be fixed. For now paper towels and plates will have to do.

They taste…very good. A little, mealy? The flavor is lovely, but they have that “stick to the back of your throat” quality. Why do I want to say they taste like a corn muffin? No corn went into them. Maybe it’s a function of the sour cream? Hmm… bit of an aftertaste now. Maybe my cream of tartar isn’t good anymore? Maybe the blueberries are what make it work.

In any event, we’re off to a good start here by the lake. More to come.

THE LAKE HOUSE

Posted on June 12, 2010 by Doug

Aside from my Photo of the Day regimen, this blog has been fairly quiet as of late. That’s about to change.

This summer will be a welcome period of rest and creation for me. After being laid off back at the end of April, I spent a full and active month experiencing New York City. Now, my lease having run it’s course, I retire to the east end of Long Island, to spend the summer at my childhood friend’s lake house. This is the view from the back porch:

Not bad ey? I’ve got all kinds of plans for the next 12 or so weeks I’ll be spending out here. These include:

Baking my way through “Baking with Julia“, generally cooking up a storm, spending many hours a week working through a fitness routine, reading and learning as many new things as possible, and of course, taking many many photographs.

My first meal at the house was as follows:

Grilled Tuna Steak w/ Zucchini over Brown Jasmine Rice

Not too shabby. We’ve still got to get into a groove when it comes to grocery shopping and meal planning. I’ll be excited to share all my experiments with you in the weeks ahead.

D.C. Hubbard

Tag Archives: Cooking