Thanksgiving Dinner at Chez Moi (First Ironchef Toronto)
Originally uploaded by elliotng.com.
First Thanksgiving Dinner at my place. It was a success!
The guest loves my rack of lamb (a la Provençal)
Thilo said “I am the Iron Chef winner at this first round in Toronto”
Benedict said “It’s the best lamb I’d ever had outside of France”
It’s a nice and happy Thanksgiving and everyone is leaving very well fed!
Clafouti
Originally uploaded by elliotng.com.
Amazing French Pastry shop on the Queen West in Toronto. They have my favorite french pastry, the Clafouti!
Carcasonne, France
Originally uploaded by Productionteams.
After taking a non-TGV class SNCF train to Carcassone, marching up about 10 minutes to the mountain of Carcasoone, I finally arrived to this absolutely gorgeous site called: “La Cite”. This city was built and lived by the Romans, the Goals in the 12th century. The nightview was magnificant.
I had a very nice Casserole on the village for dinner. The Carsserole is the Languedoc-Roussillon, France region.
My Room
Originally uploaded by Productionteams.
Haven’t cooked anything here yet. But the cookies down the streeet of my apartment is awesome! Will update this more later, once I got over my jetlag.
Hamburg Steak
Originally uploaded by Productionteams.
1 medium butternut squash (about 2 1/4 pounds)
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger, optional
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups chicken broth
1-2 cups water, as needed
Salt and pepper to taste
Sour cream and parsley for garnish
Cut squash in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Arrange the halves cut side down in roasting pan that has been sprayed with nonstick vegetable oil spray. Bake squash in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until very tender. Set aside to cool. When the squash is completely cool, scoop the flesh from the skin. While the squash is baking, cook the onion and the ginger in the butter in a saucepan, over moderately low heat, for 5 minutes or until the onion is softened, Add the broth and simmer the mixture for 10 minutes, covered. Add the squash pulp to the sauce pan. Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor, in batches, and puree until smooth. Add enough water to achieve the desired consistency, and salt and pepper to taste. Return the soup to the sauce pan and cook over moderate heat until it is hot. Garnish each portion with the heaping teaspoon of low-fat sour cream.
Ingredients (serves 3):
12 x 2″ crust (get the pre-made Tenderflake crust from Safeway)
1 pack of maple-leaf pre-made bacon (100g)
3 eggs
250ml whipping cream + 100ml 2% slim milk
100g Gruyère cheese, grated
salt and pepper
Instructions:
1. pour the grated Gruyère cheese into a big bowl, then add the milk/cream, and the eggs beated, and salt and pepper to taste
2. pour the bacon onto the crust, then add all the ingredients in (1)
3. bake in the oven at 350 F for 30 mins. serve the quiche warm.
The infamous “Coca-cola Chicken Wings”
Ingredients:
1 lbs chicken wings
1 can of cola (355 ml)
70 ml soya sauce
Steps:
1. Marinate the chicken wings with 2 tbs soya sauce, 2 tbs chinese cooking wine, some white pepper, salt and sugar for 30 mins
2. Sauté the chicken wings with some fresh cut garlic until the wings become brown. brown both sides of wings for 10 mins.
3. Add cola and 70 ml soya sauce (no more no less). Turn to mid-heat and cook it for 30 mins. Add sugar/salt to taste.
Katherine and the 3 other sous chiefs spent 4 hours preparing for this. It turned out it’s worth every single minute of it. The rice is juicy and seafood is sweet and tender.
Recipe
Quick Skillet Paella
1 pound extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces chorizo sausage, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 inion, minced
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 can of (8-ounce) of clam juice
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
1 dozen clams or mussels, scrubbed
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels, then season with the chili powder and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the shrimp and cook until curled and pink on both sides, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cover with foil.
Add the remiaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet and return to medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chorizo and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer the chorizo to the bowl with the shrimp, leaving the fat in the skillet.
Add the onion and thyme to the fat in the skillet and return to medium heat. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Stir in the rice and cook until the grains are sizzling and lightly toasted, about 1 minute.
Stir in the clam juice, tomatoes, and saffron, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
Off the heat, stir in the cooked shrimp and chorizo. Arrange the clams over the top and sprinkle with the peas. Cover, return to medium heat and cook until the shellfish have opened, about 7 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve with the lemon wedges.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Braised Rice with Chicken and Asparagus
Chinese Steamed Rice with Dried Scallops, Mushrooms, and Chicken
Ingredients
3 dried scallops
3 dried mushrooms
1/4 lbs of sweet peas
1/2 lbs skinless shredded chicken breasts
1 serving of rice
Instructions
France, Ready or not, Here I come
Continuing with my restaurant expedition journey in France in November 2006. Will venture to different french restaurants in Paris and across the Languedoc-Roussillon, Toulouse, Côte D’Azur, and Monaco.
Highlights:
It’s all started with my first love at Provence Marinaside in Yaletown, Vancouver. Since my first tasting of Bouillabaisse (a tomato stew with fresh seafood and herbs cooked in the Provençal style), my passion for seafood has only grown stronger by the day. Marseilles is the Mecca of Bouillabaisse. This 30€ Bouillabaisse is complimented with a lovely terrace at Le Mérou Bleu on rue St-Saëns. (1)
Restaurant tasting calendar:
Stay tune for more updates. If you have any suggestions for restaurants in region, feel free to send me a message.
Ingreidents:
First, boil the penne + snow peas (separately) with a hint of salt and set aside.
Then, pan-fry sausage, set aside. Cook up the butternut squash sauce and add the penne and snow peas and serve with sausage.
* Niche: Friendly Japanese-owned (Neighborhood) Sushi
* 1888 W. Broadway
* (604) 731-5577
* Mon - Fri 1130-1430 1700-2100
Sat 1700-2100
Sun & Holiday closed
In German: Geschnetzeltes!
Plain English: Beef Stew in a white cream sauce
Ease: 3/5
Ingredients:
- 500 g Sliced beef
- Sour Cream
- Fresh Cream
- chives
- green onion
- butter
Sauted beef then seasoned, added Sour cream and fresh cream and slow cook for 30 mins.
Route to Anacortes to the Whidbey Island, then walking across the bridge on the breath-taking Deception Pass. Then the pristine Oak Harbor, then take the 30-minute ferry from Clinton to Mukiteo, which takes you back to I-5.
This is adaptable to either I-5 North (like outlet shopping or venture back to Vancouver) or further down south of Seattle/Tacoma/Portland.
Ease of Driving: 3/10
Driving Time:
A new restaurant chain - Joeys Restaurant - opened on Broadway and Granville a few months ago. My friend and I paid a visit and were fascinated by the nice ambiance. I was equally impressed by the food presentation of my Ahi-Tuna Salad. The Ahi-Tuna is a bit on the rough side, perhaps it was a busy night. Will try out more next time. The burger was surprising good and reasonably priced.
1424 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC
Phone: 604-732-JOEY
Seafood Platter at Seafood Cannery
Celebrating my 10th anniversary of knowing my first friend in Canada, we have decided to splurge on our $350 dinner at the Seafood Cannery by the Wall St along the Georgia Strait by the Second Narrow’s Bridge. The sunset view of the Lion’s Gate Bridge is worth about $200 already. The seafood is fresh and of course, we made a big mess when eating all the shellfish.
This is what we ordered:
Instructions:
1) Marinate the chicken overnight
2) Preheat oven to 450F for 15 mins. Once chicken is in, lower temperature to 375F.
3) For the first 15 mins breast downwards, then turn the chicken over and bake for 1.5 hrs.
Preparation for chicken:
Clean the chicken, pat dry with kitchen paper towel. Take out the package from inside the cavity and set aside. Rub chicken with salt & pepper and brandy. Put it back into the fridge until ready for baking.
Mix 3 table spoons each of salt and pepper together.
Vegetables for roasting
2 carrots, 2 small onions, 4 stalks of celery, 4 cloves of garlic (crushed only, no need to chop!!!)
Chop all vegetables into small dice and place at the bottom of the baking pan. Put about 2 cups of water into the pan or enough to cover the vegetables.
During the baking period use melted butter to brush on the surface of the chicken (approximately every ½ hour).
For sauce
Drain all veggies & juice into a saucepan. Mix the “chicken sauce” (gravy) into the sauce pan, add red wine (approximate ¼ cup) and cook over low heat until the mixture is a little thick. Taste the sauce to see if you need to add more salt. Drain the sauce into a bowl and serve with chicken.
This recipe can be easily substituted with turkey.
Originally uploaded by Productionteams.
Sweet Revenge Patisserie
* Niche: Fine dessert / Retro English Decor
* 4160 Main Street [Map]
* 604-879-7933
* Monday - Thursday: 7 P.M. to 12 Midnight
Friday - Saturday: 7 P.M. to 1 A.M.
Sunday: 2 P.M. to 12 Midnight (Afternoon Tea served from 2 to 6 P.M.)
Gnocchi Butternut Squash Receipe
I created this new receipe with frozen butternut squash dice, boullaise, and shrimps all slowly cooked and then put in the gnocchi at the very end. It was fan-tast-ic! My way to open up a Gnocchimobile on the street!
I went to the Water St cafe during the DineOut Vancouver period and I had this great dish. So I am experimenting tonight to see if I could replicate this.
Ready in 10 minutes.
1) 1 Package of Red Pepper Gnocchi
2) 1 can of sweet corn
3) small package of cooked shrimp
4) 1 box of Butternut Squash soup
Boil the Gnocchi in salted water until it floats. Drain and set aside.
Melt the garlic butter. Sautee the shrimp for a minute. Add 2 tablespoons of orange juice, then add the sweet corn (drain the water). Stir constantly.
Add 1/2 a box of Butternut Squash soup and turn into medium heat. Once it simmers, add the Gnocchi at last.
Ahi Tuna Salad @ the Watermark Restaurant
This very chic and minimalistic restaurant, housed in the west coast architecture of wood and glass on the Kitsilano beach in Vancouver. Equally surprising, it’s the high quality Ahi Tuna and potato salad on the menu. The Ahi Tuna is grilled to perfection with just enough rawness inside and without overpowering the fresh tuna taste from the grill.
The wasabi soya dressing was exquisite. Paired with the Japanese style potato salad.Tips: Remember to ask for a table with a view. Go on a sunny afternoon and it’s the perfect spot to see sunset in Vancouver.
* Niche: Awesome seafood menu. Speculator view of West Van/ Bowen Island and Sunset
* (604) 738-KITS
* Kitsilano Beach [Map]
Yellow Curry Pad Thai Pad Si-Ew
After lunch at Rom Mai Thai, I’d recommend venturing to Redmond (about 45 minutes east from Downtown) and visit the Microsoft Campus Visitor Center.
Beautiful installations of a wall of Pocket PCs @ Microsoft’s Redmond, WA’s Campus
Best Dessert / Dessert Art @ Ganache, Yaletown
The pastry Master Mr. Peter Fong’s rendition of art. The newly wedded created just about the most creative cake I have seen in Vancouver. The Strawberry Flamobase on the bottom left on the above image is like a canvas of a young budding artist in the Art Gallery on South Granville.
If you go an excursion in Yaletown on Homer Street, it’s very advisory to bring your camera with you to this cozy patisserie. The pastry display on the fridge is like jewels.
Recommend: The flagship, Chocolate Banane and my personal favorite is the Green Tea and Chestnuts cake which are only available in the summer for a limited time.
Quiche Recipe:
Ingredients (serves 3):
Steps:
This rack of lamb was a creation I did to my family 2 christmas ago. It was a great hit.
Crusted with dijon and fresh herbs, oven-roasted, served with Japanese soy beans and mushroom risotto.
My Photography on Flickr.
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