Spread My Butter » mushroom

Chinese Mushroom

Amanda — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:06:00 +0000

A very important part of Chinese cooking is to perfect an equation which has a complexity of smells, flavours and textures, just like cuisines from all over the world. Traditional Chinese food (not that crap you get at Mr. Chow’s or Kylie Kwong) focuses heavily on the texture. Concepts such as ‘crispness’ in the stalk of a vegetable; ‘chewiness’ in the gluten of a noodle; ’slipperiness’ in the skin of steamed chicken; or the ’softness’ of a well braised abalone are more heavily regarded in oriental cooking compared to Western styles. We spend hours and hours altering and / or enhancing the texture of our ingredients days before it is being cooked.

I started researching on this and found a way to prepare chinese mushrooms to maximize and enhance it’s texture to a (very slippery-gelatinous-chewy yet soft) concept we call 膠 (translated as rubber). Using this preparation, you can be sure that the next time you need to add mushrooms to a particular dish, it enhances the overall chewing experience, which somewhat resembles a cross between tofu and a gummy with a very smooth surface. Do make sure you have high-quality Chinese mushrooms – I have to thank Brian for mine!

Start by soaking your mushrooms in a large bowl of water

You have to do this for 48 hours, changing the water twice a day (am + pm)

After extensive soaking for two days, the stems should twist off. Do not cut them with scissors. We want to remove them by hand so that we can feel with our fingertips that none of the fibrous stalk is left behind. It is a little tricky at first, but you will soon become an expert.

Drain all the water, slightly squeezing out excess, and cover the mushrooms with cornstarch. Just rub them thoroughly with the cornstarch like you are bathing them with soap. This cleans and flushes out all the impurities inside all the crevices. Rinse them clean with water.

Heat a pot with one tablespoon of oil (goose oil is best, but any oil will do), add mushrooms, then cover with around 4-6 bowls of water, so that they are all submerged.

On REALLY LOW heat, cook for 7 – 8 hours.

Now they are ready – you can cook these in bulk, and freeze them in individual zip-lock bags. DO NOT DISCARD THE WATER as it provides excellent flavour for sauce. Just defrost whenever needed.

You can steam them in strips with tofu and mince meat, finely dice them with fried rice, shallow fry with a batter… anything! I would use them in braised dishes, something like a pork belly.

Tags: chinese, food, mushroom, tofu

A Tavola

Amanda — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 10:44:00 +0000

A Tavola is one of the loveliest, sexiest Italian eateries I’ve encountered in a city already spoilt for choice. On a busy street, chef-owner Eugenio Maiale gives reason to pause for house-made pasta and the timeless pleasure of unfussy Italian dishes.

The complimentary focaccia is pulled from a copper pan and sliced as you sit down. It’s accompanied by a terracotta saucer filled with chilli-infused olive oil. Such small details give A Tavola (meaning “to the table”) its warmth.

The small printed menu is short – two olive spuntini (snacks), three entrees, three pasta, three salads. It’s supplemented by a daily blackboard, mostly inspired by the pasta made that morning, although it may also include impossibly tender pork fillet ($38) fanned over caramelised fennel wedges with agrodolce (sweet and sharp) braised red cabbage and a generous dollop of superb salsa verde. If you’re lucky, the blackboard might begin with calamari fritti ($19) to rival Fratelli Paradiso’s legendary Sant’Andrea version. This bowl of lightly dusted squid is crisp yet supple, salty yet sweet, with nothing more than roasted garlic aioli and a lemon slice to squeeze over the tiny rings. (source)

Calamari Fritti

Capesante ($23) and Carpaccio de Pesce ($22)

The chef makes three fresh pasta daily but also uses a trio of dried Italian pasta for some dishes. From our table we can see the freshly made papparadelle hanging on a wooden rod across the front of the kitchen, waiting to be cooked.

The waitress explains to me that the risotto of the day is hand made fresh daily, and takes over 25 minutes of constant stirring over heat before it is served. Serving two (even though the three of us still could not finish it) it has a rich, aromatic sauce of different slippery wild mushrooms which compliments the al dente texture of the risotto. Topped with Saltimbocca – which is a pancetta wrapped pork cooked in butter, is so tender it melts in the mouth. Highly recommended, though I was told that you have to be very lucky to see it appear on the blackboard.

Risotto al funghi e saltimbocca ($30 pp)

Paparadelle with Rabbit Ragu ($30)

I think this one is a winner – we were too full to sample the desserts, but there is definitely more opportunities to come. HIGHLY recommended!

348 Victoria St, Darlinghurst, NSW (02) 9331 7871, www.atavola.com.au Dinner Mon-Sat, lunch Fri. Licensed and BYO.

Dammit I can’t believe I’ll be working on Saturday and cannot attend:

Ultimo Wine Centre Annual Champagne Tasting 2007

Always the best Champagne tasting in Sydney!

Saturday 1st December – 12 midday until 5pm

Billecart-Salmon, Taittinger, Bollinger, Laurent Perrier, Devaux, Delamotte, Gosset, Louis Roederer, Brice, Phillipponet & more…

Tags: A tavola, cabbage, carpaccio, Champagne, dessert, dinner, italian, mushroom, NSW, pasta, salad, salmon, snacks, sydney

My variation of Borscht

Amanda — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 21:01:00 +0000

“Hot borscht, the kind most popular in the majority of cultures is a hearty soup with many common optional ingredients, depending on the cuisine, including various vegetables (beans, cabbage, carrots, cucumber, potatoes, onions, or tomatoes), mushrooms, and meats (chicken, pork, or beef). It is more akin to a stew than most soups, and may be eaten as a meal in itself“

It’s just another evening where I am once again, feeling a little under the weather with a very sore throat. My version of Borsch is reminiscent of my childhood days in Hong Kong, where a tomato based soup is more commonly used instead of beets. The bone & marrow of the ossobuco gives it that extra earty?flavour – alongside young vegetables, it is especially sweet.

Ingredients:

Half baby savoy cabbage, finely chopped

10 x organic baby carrots, finely diced

Half a brown onion, finely diced

One clove garlic, halved in centre

One cob of sweet corn

One organic zucchini, finely diced

Ossobuco(2 pieces – around 500g)

350ml organic tomato puree

350ml beef stock

500ml water

1. Cover the ossobuco with water in a large pot and bring to the boil

2. After one or two minutes of boiling, discard the liquid (clears broth of impurities)

3. Add beef stock and water into the pot again, on medium heat, add all vegetable ingredients

4. Gently stir in tomato puree

5. Simmer for around two hours

6. Add salt, pepper and chilli oil to taste

I removed the corn, and diced the beef before serving. And the bone marrow is to die for! Time for bed…

Tags: beets, cabbage, Hong Kong, mushroom, potato, recipe, soup, tomato

Shark Bait

Amanda — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 09:00:00 +0000

Had a relaxing break with my colleagues to Byron Bay last week – even though the weather was just plain awful (until the moment we left, of course) as it was raining the whole time. However, rain or no rain, we didn’t let that damper our much deserved R&R time. The country was just beautiful, and the air especially fresh after each period of rain. We stayed at East On Byron, they are fully equipped (laundry, kitchen), 2 bedroom beach front apartments with private outdoor BBQ’s.

Highlights included:

* A Yogalates class in Bangalow (yes, where the sweet pork comes from!) in a beautiful open space facing the forest… you can probably tell that was my idea. I figured my entire company should really stretch out our tired muscles.

* Snorkelling with sea turtles – we bought one of those disposable underwater cameras. Apparently in order to see those pictures, I have to get this thing called F-I-L-M developed. And it’s supposed to cost money. Whaaaat the! This was arranged through Byron Bay Dive Centre. [edit] Photos developed!!

* Jumping into the ocean at 7am when you open your eyes in the morning, the water was especially warm even though the waves were very strong. In hindsight that was probably a little dangerous, to be alone in the ocean while the storm was coming in, but it was so beautiful and inviting I could not help myself.

Tempura of eggplant and feta cannelloni with lemon zest polenta, capsicum coulis and basil

Sugar cured ocean trout with beetroot remoulade, caper crumbed oyster and fennel slaw

Mushroom and herb gnocchi with pecorino, peas and a sage beurre noisette

Aged beef fillet with Jerusalem artichoke fritts, caf?de Paris butter and leek and beef cheek ravioli

Assiette of pork ?crispy Bangalow pork belly with honey glazed pork cheek, hoisin marinated rib, spiced pumpkin and apple sauce

(this one was SO SO SO good)

Finger lime and yoghurt tartlet with pinenut crust, Midori and finger lime sorbet

Macadamia nougat glace with blood orange and brandy snap

Chocolate fondant with Sichuan and quince ice cream and a Barbadillo Pedro Ximenez syrup

I will definitely visit again… hopefully the weather would be better next time!

Celebrity sighting of the week:

leather seats… leather man

Tags: basil, byron bay, Est., ice cream, mushroom, ocean trout

Young Chefs Dinner

Amanda — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 09:51:00 +0000

2007 marks 10 years subce Janni Kryitsis created this opportunity to showcase the cooking of our talented young chefs. This year’s degustation dinner will be cooked by the eight young chefs including Daniel Hong, the 2008 Josephine Pignolet Award Winner at the exciting new Moncur Terrace above Bistro Moncur.

Young Chefs Dinner Menu:

Tom Walton, Moncur Terrace

Blini, scallop carpaccio, apple cider mayonnaise, pig’s tail

Hare sausage, daikon cake, beetroot puree

Globe artichoke, pea and reggiano tartlet

2004 Brown Brothers Blanc de Blanc, Brut, Whitlands Vineyard, King Valley, Victoria

(canapes photo unavailable)

Hamish Ingham, Billy Kwong

Salad of line – caught King George whiting with pickled Chinese mushrooms, fennel and Sichuan chilli oil.

2005 Albert Mann, Cuvee Albert, Riesling, Alsace, France

Philip Wood, Tetsuya’s

Butter poached spanner crab with consomm?noodles and sauce American

2006 Wild Rock Wild Ferment Chardonnay, Hawkes Bay, NZ

Damien Heads, Pony Lounge & Dining

Roasted Redgate Farm Jurassic quail with it’s own tortellini white asparagus, broad beans and tomato

2005 Waitiri Creek, The Drummer Pinot Noir, Central Otago, New Zealand

Brent Savage and Daniel Hong, Bentley Restaurant & bar

Smoked veal tenderloin, tonka bean mayonnaise and confit maron

2005 Waitiri Creek, The Drummer Pinot Noir, Central Otago, New Zealand

Daniel Puscas, Oscillate Wildly

Cheese – woodside fresh chevre, illation, gorgonzola piccante

1992 Geoff Merrill Museum Release Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra, South Australia

Jacqueline Bourke

Chocolate and almond, Raspberries and almond milk

Petit Fours

Chef’s Speeches

Tags: carpaccio, chinese, Damien Heads, dinner, events, fish, good food month, mushroom, petit fours, salad, tomato, young chefs dinner

Palatable, Per Se…

Amanda — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 11:33:00 +0000

A veritable cornucopia of taste, for all five senses. Even though Thomas Keller resides more at French Laundry, his creations were undoubtly passed on exquisitely to his fellow chefs. He was awarded a three star rating by the Michelin Guide to New York for his restaurant Per Se, and in 2006, he was awarded a three star rating by the Michelin Guide to the Bay Area for his restaurant The French Laundry.

We had the opportunity to have Sunday lunch (dressed like we were heading to church) in the private dining room. And Raj, our friendly waiter even gave us a tour of the kitchen (I was lost for words) afterwards, and what an amazing kitchen it was! The size of the kitchen was almost larger than the size of the restaurant. No photos of the kitchen though, as I didn’t think it was appropriate.

So this may have been the most I’ve ever spent on lunch for my two favorite New York ladies (with a $1000+ bill) but I really have to say that it was worth every penny. Nothing in Australia is even close to the quality, skill and taste to what we ate at Per Se. Isabel witnessed my triple food orgasm with tears of joy. It was a 15 course prix fixe menu but the chef sent us a few additonal treats.

Shall We Start?

Cauliflower Panna Cotta

Marinated Abalone Mushroom

Crispy skin fillet of Barramundi

Scottish Langoustines

Berkshire Pork Belly with Watermelon

Milk Fed Veal

Petite Ardi-Gasna

Hibiscus Sorbet

Tentation Au Choclat

Degustation De Fruits D’ete

Extra Treats throughout our meal:

Scrambled eggs with black truffle sauce with toasted brioche

Sashimi of fluke with Grapefruit

Sweet corn soup with vanilla creme fraiche

“donuts & coffee” (coffee ice cream with foam on top)

Creme Brulee

Strawberry Balsamic Chocolate

Petit fours and macaroons to take home

The crew:

Gluttony – my favorite sin

Choose this over sex? HELL YEAH.

Tags: barramundi, berry, food, French, ice cream, LA, michelin, mushroom, New York, per se, petit fours, restaurant, soup, thomas keller, truffle

Healthy Dumplings

Amanda — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 12:07:00 +0000

Call them what you like: Dumplings, gow-gees, pot stickers, gyozas… to me, the word dumpling is a generalization of food encased in a rolled out dough or pastry sheet… and exists most popular in Italian (Ravioli), Japanese (Gyoza), Chinese (Jiao zi), or Jewish (Kreplach aka Jewish wonton)

While I love the frozen variety from Asian supermarkets, I just never know the quality of meat they use, or the amount of MSG in their fillings… so it seems like an unhealthy snack. Making your own and freezing them will last for months, and saves so much money in the process!

Again… I didn’t really follow a recipe, but here’s what I remember:

300g minced pork (lean – if you prefer)

7 or 8 chinese mushrooms

Chinese cabbage, shredded (黃芽白)

Dumpling wrappers – the round shaped ones

Grated ginger & garlic

Sesamee oil, Soy sauce, Cornflour, Salt, pepper

Marinade the mince pork with sesamee oil, one teaspoon of cornflour, salt and pepper. Mix well, and add grated ginger and grated garlic. Set aside.

After soaking the mushrooms and squeezing out excess water, dice into small cubes and pan fry the mushrooms in oil for 5 minutes.

Combine diced mushrooms into the pork mince, then add the shredded cabbage. Mix well (at this point just use your hands and get into it!)

Use a teaspoon full of the mixture and lay a small pile into the centre of the dumpling wrap.

Use a mixture of cornflour and water as a glue to seal the edges of the wrapper into a semi-circle.

Pinch 4 times on the top of the semi circle into crimps that will stop the dumpling from unravelling when boiled.

To serve:

You can either boil dumplings in soup

or:

Pan fry them in a pan for that crispy bottom very similar to Pot stickers. Place dumplings on a heated, oiled pan and let it sizzle for 2 minutes.

Then, pour in 0.5cm deep of chicken broth, and cover immediately. The steam from the chicken broth should cook the rest of the dumpling while still leaving the bottom crispy –

This is just the standard Gyoza Cooking 101. Serve with a mixture of chinese vinegar, sesamee oil and Chilli XO sauce.

Voila! A healthy, quick snack… store in the freezer for up to 3 months! Mine? Well someone (very well deserved, albeit a bit of a corny salesman) finished off the batch. And just an official thank you to you both (co-owners of my couch)… I owe you two so much, for everything you’ve helped out during this stage in my life.

Tags: Asia, cabbage, chinese, dumplings, food, italian, LA, mushroom, recipe, soup