NYC: Raclette Party!

The snow is finally starting to melt to dirty slush here in the city. Cab rides take (and thus cost!) twice as long...driving with extra caution. But I've been having hot cider for breakfast every morning and hot chocolate in the evenings, so all is well.

Ben and Sanu invited Monsieur P and I for a Raclette dinner the other evening. They were all familiar with Raclette, having grown up with various versions of this dish, but this was the first time for me. David Lebovitz recently wrote a great on Raclette here.

What exactly is Raclette?
Well it starts off with a lot of cheese. We had just over three pounds between five people. Using Raclette cheese is most common, but you can also use any other good melting cheese. Ben cut the cheese into rectangles to make the Raclette-making process easier at the dinner table.

Then we arranged the other Raclette components in separate dishes. We used:
- Boiled Potatoes
- Baguettes
- Mushrooms
- Bell Peppers
- Onions
- Tomatoes
- Bacon
- Shrimp
- Cornichons
- Pineapple!

Yes, pineapple! Pretty cool right? I was initially turned off by the idea of melted cheese and pineapple in the same mouthful, but it turned out to be unexpectedly good. Ben also made his super secret parsley butter (pictured above)...I believe I single handedly wiped out that butter bowl.

Next you turn on the Raclette Machine and everyone has a big glass of wine...Raclette on the way! I've spotted Raclette Machines at Whole Foods and Murray's Cheese, though you can easily find them online. The machine is essentially an electric table top grill with two levels. The top is for grilling (we cooked the bacon and shrimp here), and the bottom level contains individual sized pans called coupelles which are used for melting the cheese. The machine Ben owned has six little coupelles.

There's a million ways to make Raclette, and we spent much of dinner debating the "correct way." Do you cooking everything (vegetables, meats) on the grill first and then put the melted cheese on top? Or do you pile the raw vegetables on the coupelles first, then top with cheese and melt it together? But we did agree that the best part was sliding the melted cheese over slices of boiled potatoes and baguettes slathered in parsley butter. A sharp bite of cornichon and then dig in. No shots of the melted cheese - no time, didn't want the cheese to cool down!

Things got pretty messy after my fifth or sixth serving and I managed to burn my finger (a common theme this month) by lifting the pan by the metal part. A small price to pay for a very enjoyable winter meal. You can have Raclette in any weather, but it's particularly suitable for snowy cold evenings with good friends. I imagine it just wouldn't be the same in sunny Honolulu ;)

Sugar Rush'ed...

...for the past week at Serious Eats New York. Hope everyone is bundled up warm today! ^_^

Top 10 Desserts of 2010

Sugar Rush: Blue Marble's Root Beer Ice Cream

Lunch for One: Chinatown Brasserie's Delivery Lunch Special

Top 5 Breakfast Sweets of 2010

Sugar Rush: Honey Bears at The Good Batch

Lunch for One: Café Kristall, The Lighter Side

Sugar Rush: Pear Cider and Rosemary-Chocolate Marshmallows at Three Tarts

Sugar Rush: Hazelnut Whisky Cookies by Whimsy & Spice

It's a winter wonderland in NYC...

...coupled with blizzard warnings, lighting, 37MPH winds, and a bazillion flight cancellations. A peek out the window shows cars stuck along Waverly Street, with groups of people attempting to give the cars a push. The police stopped to help, but then their cars got stuck! Now we're leaning out the window to see what happens next. Luckily my flight landed in NYC on the afternoon of Christmas Eve, two days before this storm. But brrrrr, what a change! I can still feel Honolulu's sunny 80F and tradewinds on my shoulders.

Torta Sbrisolona - Almond and Apple Crumb Cake and Caramel Gelato

More Hawai'i posts to come soon, but in the meantime, I hope everyone is having a great Christmas weekend. Monsieur P and I had a cozy Christmas Eve dinner at Maialino. We didn't call in time for reservations, but thankfully the bar/casual dining room was walk-in only. We showed up around 8pm and there was a brief 10-minute wait, quickly whittled away with cocktails. Bread and olive oil to start, including their excellent rosemary pizza bianca. We shared the Spaghetti Alle Vongole ($18) with clams, white wine, and garlic. And then an order of the Costolette Allo Scottadito ($35), lamb chops and cavolo agrodolce. Both dishes were reliable favorites we've had before at Maialino. I've been on a lamp chop kick since Mom and I prepared lamb chops for grandpa's birthday dinner last week - it was our first time cooking lamb chops and we did them for a party of 12 people! 4 chops a person, it was quite the production (including a burnt finger! forgot to use the oven mitts :/) but the dish came out very well. We seasoned simply with salt and pepper, but next time will give rosemary or thyme a spin.

Bruschetta di Cannella and Mandorla Stracciatella Gelato, Quince Sorbet

Our appetizer orders were forgotten and by the time we finished the entrees we were to full to have the appetizers afterward. To make up for it, the desserts were taken off the bill. Monsieur P went for the Almond and Apple Crumb Cake ($9), called Torta Sbrisolona. The cake was served warm and topped with a silky round of Caramel Gelato. I did the Trio ($7) of gelato and sorbet. In the back is the Bruschetta di Cannella Gelato...essentially, cinnamon toast gelato! That's Mandorla Stracciatella Gelato on the right and Quince Sorbet on the left. Almond Biscotti to top. Otto makes my favorite restaurant gelato, but these were still wonderful.

Wild Striped Bass with Chilies and Herbs, Baby Market Potatoes and Spinach

For Christmas Day, we caught an afternoon showing of The Black Swan...one disturbing, but beautiful movie. I enjoyed the acting as much as the costumes. We didn't expect the theaters to be so crowded... arrived an hour early for the 4:45pm showing but tickets were sold out! So we bought tickets for the 5:45pm showing, went out for coffee, and came back over an hour early. And already there was a long line to get in for seats! Crazy, right? Post-movie, we walked to ABC Kitchen. Two seats at the bar please. Cocktails, and House Cut Fries and Fried Parsley ($6) to nibble on. We shared a few plates, including the Wild Striped Bass ($27) pictured above. It was served with baby market potatoes and spinach in a clear, spicy broth. Monsieur P was especially fond of the Spinach, Goat Cheese, and Herbs Pizza ($14) made with whole wheat dough. Instead of being sauteed and piled on, the spinach is scattered over the top, and gets super crisp in the oven. No dessert this time...went home to dig into a pint of peppermint ice cream ^_^

Hope everyone stays warm tonight!

Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10010
(212) 777-2410

ABC Kitchen
35 E 18th Street
New York, NY 10003
(212) 475-5829

Hawai'i: Time for Goûter!

Pâté So at JJ Bistro & French Pastry

I snack more in Hawai'i than I do in NYC. It might be because my parents tend to keep copious, Costco-sized amounts of food in the kitchen and I've set up my makeshift office at the breakfast table. Or the fact that mom uses my visits home as an reason to purchase more snacks, "oh Kathy, I stopped by xxx bakery this morning, thought you might like xxx and xxx. AND I bought a few extra xxx because I know you can't get that in NYC, right?"

But I'm not complaining, oh no :) A few extra holiday pounds doesn't hurt. Awhile ago, Monsieur P introduced me to the notion of goûter, the traditional afternoon snack in France. And since then I've used every afternoon as an excuse for my between lunch and dinner indulgences. In Hawai'i I have goûter at 2pm, 3pm, and 4pm! After all, we're on vacation.

Here's what I've been munching on...
JJ's French Bistro and Pastry in Kaimuki is most popular for their Chocolate Pyramid, which they have in every size ranging from giant birthday cake single biters for $.95. But the main reason mom stops by JJ's so often is for the Pâté So ($2.50 each). It's pretty difficult to find Pâté So in Hawai'i (a few places I know in Chinatown make them to order), but JJ's makes the best, and also most reliable ones. This was a popular snack in Vietnam where my parents grew up, and they'll never turn down an offer of Pâté So. The puff pastry is stuffed with a mix of ground pork, fish sauce, onions, and black pepper. My aunt likes to use a mix of chicken and pork, with wood ear mushrooms. Sometimes she adds vermicelli noodles as well. So many options!

These Ham Rolls used to be $1.10 each when I worked at Saint Germain in high school. It was my first "real job," and my manager hated me for reasons still unknown. But that was ok because I befriended the baker and he packed me a freezer bag full of Ham Rolls at the end of each work shift. The Ham Rolls are now $1.90 each, and I'm still in love with them. Soft sweet white bread, rolled with plenty of mayonnaise and a twirl of ham. They used to top the roll with cilantro, but did away with that two years ago...now I bring my own cilantro to add!

Dad's friend has a farm on the other side of the island and one of his employees makes these incredible sweets of Steamed Coconut Sticky Rice and Apple-Bananas. Take a look at the inside...
...^_^. They brought over a dozen to our house the other night and we devoured them in two days. The Apple-Banana is cut in long thin slices and tucked in the middle of the coconut milk-soaked rice.

Inside Palama Market (near the Korean plate lunches) is a bakery counter that carries just a few items including this barely sweet Black Sesame Mochi Bread. It's sold by the 3-pack for $4. Super chewy, soft and pockmarked with plenty toasted black sesame seeds. When someone call out "mochi bread time," at home, it's dad's cue put on the tea, and then we all gather round the kitchen counter for goûter!

I have yet to make it to V Lounge, but am already a fan of their pizza based off leftovers mom and dad brought home yesterday. Still have to go there to try the Margarita. Check out their menu here, the pies have a beautiful char, unlike any other pizza I've had in Hawai'i. V Lounge is just as pricey as Motorino and Keste in NYC. Crazy, right? Above is the Prima Pizza ($16), topped with, "Pancetta Di San Daniele, locally grown sweet onions, Hamakua Ali'i oyster mushrooms, thyme, parsley, fresh homemade mozzarella, local egg, and truffle oil." Now that is truly drool worthy. I think we're actually going there for dinner tonight...

Hope everyone is enjoying the week!

P.S. Buddy says 'hello'!
Poor fellow caught a cold last week...achooo! He's getting so old - 13 years now. Right leg still busted, but he's in good spirits. Merry Christmas!

JJ's French Bistro and Pastry
3447 Waialae Ave
Honolulu, HI 96816
(808) 739-0993

Saint Germain
Multiple Locations

Palama Market
1670 Makaloa Street
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 447-7705

V Lounge
1344 Kona Street
Honolulu HI, 96814
(808) 953-0007

Sugar Rush'ed...

Classic Stroopwafel by The Good Batch [spiced waffle cookie, caramel filling]

...for the week at Serious Eats New York. Plus Holiday Round-Ups, and 'Lunch for One' at Al Di La and Cha-An Tea House. Happy almost-Christmas!

Top 10 Hot Chocolates in New York

Lunch for One: Braised Chicken and Polenta at Al Di La

Sugar Rush: Yam Custard at Pure Thai Shophouse

Sugar Rush's Top 10 Sweet Treats of 2010

Sugar Rush: Spéculoos from Dandoy Biscuits

Lunch for One: Porridge Set at Cha An

Top 5 Restaurant Sweets of 2010

Sugar Rush: Palet Breton at Financier

Top 5 Sweet Drinks of 2010

Sugar Rush: Farmer Ground's Buckwheat Pancake Mix

Sugar Rush: Tipu's Chai

Interview with Barney's

I recently did an interview with Kate Sung of Barney's, and it was just posted it on B-Sides, the Barney's blog. The theme for their 2010 holiday display windows is "Have a Foodie Holiday," so you can understand how this is appropriate ;)

Check out the interview here, or just scroll down. Hope everyone is having a great week! Went to Pioneer Saloon with Farida and Lisa for lunch today, then to Coffee or Tea? for afternoon snack (papaya milk!). My parents had a party at home this evening...catering from Pho 777 and Fook Yuen, cleaning up the kitchen now. Munching on the leftovers. What I'd give to extend this Hawai'i vacation...though am superduper excited to spend both Christmas and New Years in NYC for the first time.

Christmas Tree 2010 + New House!

"Is it big enough? How big is it?"
"Ahh, 12 feet?"
"12?! That's it? Nooo, must be bigger!"
"Hard to see from this angle. You're right though, I think...15 feet?"
"No way."
"17 actually! Now that I look from here, yes, must be 17 feet at least."

That's my dad attempting to cut down an actual Christmas tree from the forest we call our backyard. For the last 24 years of my life we relied on a trusty 12-foot plastic tree that moved with our family to house to house. And there were a lot of houses. My parents build and sell, and build and sell, always at rapid speed. Always moving within a 15-minute driving distance from the previous home. And always in Honolulu.

As a result, I never fully unpack my belongings. Life in boxes. Sounds like a hassle, but I couldn't imagine life any other way.

Until this current house. A one year project that evolved into a five year affair. It's the only house mom and dad have fallen head over heels for. So I think we'll be staying here for awhile.

It's at the top of a hill in Honolulu, fairly isolated. We bought it as a raw patch of state preservation land. And between obtaining government approval, constructing the home, and figuring out how to make it completely green, and building our own water supply system, the one year naturally rolled into five years.

And now we're done!

Almost at least. I don't think it will ever be completely finished.

I arrived in Hawai'i yesterday evening, after a ridiculously long flight from NYC. Both mom and dad picked me up at the airport, and on the ride home dad declared, "no more plastic tree this year. We're going to cut our own!"

Mom thought he was kidding, and I was too tired to confirm.

But this afternoon we realized dad was not joking. He brought out sneakers, matching long flannel shirts, and a machete. Tree cutting time. Our new backyard is two acres of raw land, a good portion of which houses Christmas trees. It was a 20-minute "hike" into the backyard when we came across the perfect tree. Well actually the "perfect" ones were just too massive for our puny machete ;)

Dad was in charge of the chopping while mom and I pointed out potential trees. Mom said, "smile!" and so I did and here's the photo. About eight seconds after this photo was taken my ankles started itching, crazy, crazy. I looked down (stupidly wore knit leggings instead of reasonable pants), and my ankles were covered, no, coated, in mosquito bites...one, two...twenty-six, twenty-seven! It was disgusting, bright, taut red bumps overtaking the skin, looked like a science experiment gone terribly wrong. I charged right back to the house, after tripping on several random tree branches, and metal markers left by the construction crew. A hot bath, thick layers of Calamine lotion, and hopefully my ankles won't be all bubbly red tomorrow.

But we did get the Christmas tree up and here it is! It turned out to not be 17 feet, but SEVEN feet (things look so much bigger from a distance in the forest!) Ahaha. We're going for the minimalist look!

A few hours later and...Here's what the tree looks like now. Wish I had a more complete photo to show you...but we're running out for dinner. Happy Holidays!