410 replies to this topic

[Abra]

Are you kidding? That list is WAY too easy!

How about some

fregola
bai krapow
mimolette
boquerones
rau ram
achiote
geoduck

C'mon, stretch yourselves! You know everyone's going to vote for bacon, right? The ballot box is pre-stuffed when it comes to eG and bacon.

[hhlodesign]

I am really looking forward to the Chinese banquet.

I'm really looking forward to learning more about your Chinese banquet.  Are you cooking that, or is it going to be out somewhere?

We'll be hosting the Chinese banquet in my studio for friends in the building. Lorna and I will be cooking. We've yet to plan the menu exactly, but so far we're thinking:

Dungenous crab with Japanese pumkin and black bean sauce
Whole steamed fish
Hot and Sour Soup
Potstickers
Red-Brasied Pork Belly
Szechuan Homestyle Tofu
Hunan Smoked pork belly stir fry
Hot and Spicy Chicken
More to come...

[Ling]

FOR THE RECORD, I recall a little bit of a PUBLIC exchange towards the end of Henry's blog when one of Ling's posts elicited a BLATANTLY flirtatious remark from Mr. Lo.  I sent a message to Lorna telling her to flirt back immediately.  She responded by indicating that I was not alone in sending the same unsolicited advice. 

YES...you are right, Pontormo. Thanks for setting the record straight.

[Ling]

Are you kidding?  That list is WAY too easy!

How about some

fregola
bai krapow
mimolette
boquerones
rau ram
achiote
geoduck

C'mon, stretch yourselves!  You know everyone's going to vote for bacon, right?  The ballot box is pre-stuffed when it comes to eG and bacon.

Boquerones?!! How am I going to make a boquerones dessert?!! Boquerones ice-cream, anyone?

[hhlodesign]

Are you kidding?  That list is WAY too easy!

How about some

fregola
bai krapow - huh?!?
mimolette - what!?!?!?
boquerones
rau ram - uh....
achiote - who?
geoduck

C'mon, stretch yourselves!  You know everyone's going to vote for bacon, right?  The ballot box is pre-stuffed when it comes to eG and bacon.

Edited by hhlodesign, 27 August 2006 - 11:39 AM.

[Swisskaese]

I was going to suggest sexy pomegranates or mangoes, but I will settle for

peaches

These are all fruits that you can make both savory and sweet dishes.

Or.... you could really stretch your horizons and choose tehina.

Edited by Swisskaese, 27 August 2006 - 11:37 AM.

[Eden]

Shaya: Eden was the one who brought the chorizo and fig dish, but from what I could tell, there were caramelized onions and balsamic vinegar reduced into the sauce. It was delicious with the fig juices and of course, the rich chorizo.

The Chorizo & fig recipe was adapted from here. the onions are just simmered & the vinegar is just cheap basic red wine vinegar, but I vary the cooking process slightly to intensify the flavors, and it does a pretty good impression of balsamic & caramelized onions because of that.

What fun to come home from dinner & see it already being blogged! Now I know why you guys skipped out on drinks at Union, you needed to get home & start typing

By the way any funkyness in the presentation of the cheesecake is entirely my fault. Somebody let me do the slicing, and there had been a lot of wine & sangria first I loved this cheesecake - the Valdeon is much more suble than a stilton cheesecake, so you have to stop & pay attention to the flavors more.

My suggestions for the Iron chef list are Cubebs & Long pepper.

[Ling]

My roommate taught me a few things, like how to make Nepalese Momos, but my real teacher was my grandparents Chinese cook. She was a master cook and I learned a lot about pastry and Chinese food from her.

That's so interesting, Michelle! What are some of your favourite Chinese dishes?

Henry and I cook different things when it comes to Chinese. My dad is from Canton and my mom is from Shanghai, so those are the two cuisines I grew up with. Henry grew up eating a lot of Hunan and Szechuan dishes, so that's what he makes.

[hhlodesign]

Just finished shopping for our dinner tonight at Uwajamya in Seattle's International District (What the locals call Chinatown, but since everyone needs to be PC in Seattle we can't call it Chinatown, even us Chinese People.)

Uwajamya is more Japanese than Chinese centric. We do have a 99 Ranch Market but it's a 30 min. drive away.

It was nice to be greeted by the smell of Chestnuts at the store entrance (for numerous reasons: see previous blog )



While the array of unfamiliar foodstuffs can be intimidating, it's never boring:





I LOVE KIMCHEE!!!!!!!!



While the sauce isle is impressive, this pales in comparison to stores in Richmond, BC



They carry meats from both Snake River and Misty Isle Farms here. Although the marbelling did not seem as prominent as I expected for Wagyu:



It was after this shot that I got yelled at for taking pictures in the store. Evidently, they don't allow it. "Calm down lady! I'm not gonna sell them to the Russians!"

Have you ever seen a larger selection of Panko?



Obligatory Pocky Shot



We had the horrible idea of getting some food at the food court:



Not even worth commenting about.

[rjwong]

C'mon, stretch yourselves!  You know everyone's going to vote for bacon, right?  The ballot box is pre-stuffed when it comes to eG and bacon.

This little piggie wants to know what's wrong with bacon?
Oink!

Abra, you're right. It's too tempting to go to Daniel's thread and get some bacon ideas. Mind you, the greatest challenge can come from universally-known ingredients like bacon or eggs or chicken ...

We'll be hosting the Chinese banquet in my studio for friends in the building. Lorna and I will be cooking. We've yet to plan the menu exactly, but so far we're thinking:

Dungenous crab with Japanese pumkin and black bean sauce
Whole steamed fish
Hot and Sour Soup
Potstickers
Red-Brasied Pork Belly
Szechuan Homestyle Tofu
Hunan Smoked pork belly stir fry
Hot and Spicy Chicken
More to come...

What kind of vegetables are you going to serve? How about some pea sprouts with garlic? It's a nice change from spinach or Chinese broccoli.


Henry & Lorna, do each of you get to put together a culinary team, real and/or virtual?? It's probably happening already ...

[hhlodesign]

What kind of vegetables are you going to serve? How about some pea sprouts with garlic? It's a nice change from spinach or Chinese broccoli.

What's "vegetables?"

[Ling]

They carry meats from both Snake River and Misty Isle Farms here. Although the marbelling did not seem as prominent as I expected for Wagyu:

Well, like I said in the store, they have different levels of quality. The Wagyu I get in Vancouver is $100/lb., and the marbling is much more prominent.

We had the horrible idea of getting some food at the food court:



Not even worth commenting about.

Two chicken skewers, ginger mackerel (this was OK) and an egg roll.

I got a large Americano from Peet's when we went to pick up some stuff from Larry's (which recently went bankrupt and will be called something like "Metropolitan Market" in September). FYI: don't take pictures of Peet's coffee stands or the people working behind the counter will yell at you too.

[MarketStEl]

I wouldn't be so sure that the deck is stacked in favor of bacon.

Ordinarily, I'd vote for cheese, but you can do so many things with cheese, it's not much of a challenge.

Peaches sound like a great idea, and they're in season.

Count me as a vote for peaches.

BTW, congrats to both of you--I must have sleepwalked through the beginnings of courtship that ended your last blog. And Henry--I owe you an "Anatomy of a Cheesesteak." One will be coming. Sooner or later.

[MarketStEl]

I got a large Americano from Peet's when we went to pick up some stuff from Larry's (which recently went bankrupt and will be called something like "Metropolitan Market" in September). FYI: don't take pictures of Peet's coffee stands or the people working behind the counter will yell at you too. 

Isn't Peet's a subsidiary of Starbucks or something like that?

I don't remember much talk of coffee in that last blog, but as it is to Seattle what cheesesteaks are to Philly, I'd love to hear your thoughts on Seattle coffee culture.

[rockdoggydog]

I vote for peaches, eggs, and bacon. Then either Henry or Lorna can make bacon and eggs ice cream and serve it on a peach cobbler. Come on guys you didn't want to drive all the way to Ranch 99? You could have had soon dobu for breakfast and hit Central Market on the way home, and swung into Fu Man for a snack. Not that I plan all of my trips in relation to where you can eat or anything like that. Looking forward to reading this week.

Rocky

[Ling]

Henry & Lorna, do each of you get to put together a culinary team, real and/or virtual?? It's probably happening already ...

No, we are doing all the cooking--no help from anyone, professional or otherwise.

BTW, we were kicking around the idea that when we upload our Iron Chef dishes onto our blog, the viewers (you) should be able to vote on a winner (based on presentation) as well. So how can we make this easy--should we just take the first 20 poster's votes (just post "1 vote for Ling" or "1 vote for hhlodesign) and the majority winner gets a bonus x number of points?

[Foodie-Girl]

Your blog is off to a great start~ What a beautiful backyard...it looks so familar

My vote is for PEACHES

Char

[Abra]

Post the dishes anonymously, so we can vote without playing favorites! Peaches, though, aren't local, even though I hate to disillusion those who think we have an actual summer here. They're coming over from eastern WA on a truck, chugging over the mountains all crated up. That is, unless someone has a secret local source, in which case, do tell!

I love soon dobu. Rocky needs to lead a Ranch 99/soon dobu crawl.

Lorna, did you see the chocolate message I sent you? Chufi sent me some incredible chocolate that you need to taste.

[Karen L]

I'm glad you guys have so much chemistry in and out of the kitchen. Your blog should turn out awesome.

I vote seaweed. Wait...that's not on the list is it?...then, bacon it is. Anything fatty is worth serving in every dish.

Have fun!

[Chufi]

I vote for mushrooms, not that it matters, cause no-one else did. Ah well. It will be lots of fun anyway.

[Swisskaese]

My roommate taught me a few things, like how to make Nepalese Momos, but my real teacher was my grandparents Chinese cook. She was a master cook and I learned a lot about pastry and Chinese food from her.

That's so interesting, Michelle! What are some of your favourite Chinese dishes?

Henry and I cook different things when it comes to Chinese. My dad is from Canton and my mom is from Shanghai, so those are the two cuisines I grew up with. Henry grew up eating a lot of Hunan and Szechuan dishes, so that's what he makes.

I like all of the cuisines you mentioned. Chinese cooking is a real art. You can use very simple spices or herbs and the dish can still be very complex.

I really love steamed fish with ginger, green onion and lemongrass

In my pre-kosher days I made salt and pepper shrimp, which you can also use baby squid instead of the shrimp or a mixture of both.

One of the dim sum dishes I liked to make is Har Gow. I think I would need a lesson again on how to do the pleating. It has been years since I made it. But, alas, I can't have shrimp anymore.

Kung Pao Chicken

Szechuan green beans, preferably with long beans, if I could find them

and something non-Chinese, Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken

Cashew chicken (not very authentic)

Orange beef

[KatieLoeb]

<sigh> You two make such a handsome couple. An eGullet romance. Sweeet!

Tapas party looked wonderful and the sangria seems to have turned out perfectly. YAY!

This blog is going to be great. Two passionate forces combined, with a healthy dose of competitiveness tossed in. Hoo-whee! Clear the decks!

[Ann_T]

This is going to be such an exciting Blog.

I vote for mushrooms.


Ann

[Pontormo]

What kind of vegetables are you going to serve? How about some pea sprouts with garlic? It's a nice change from spinach or Chinese broccoli.

What's "vegetables?"

Exactly!!!!!

THIS CALLS FOR BLOG INSURRECTION!!! HEAR MY CRY, FELLOW EG MEMBERS: I CALL FOR A WRITE-IN IRON CHEF BALLOT!!!!

There isn't a SINGLE vegetable on Henry's list of candidates .
Bacon's too obvious. Eggs? Lorna's got an advantage re versatility. Peaches? Good, potentially broad range. Henry's already skilled in that area (peaches with scallops, great ice cream...) and we know what Ling can do there. Mushrooms are close, but the dessert biz? I don't know.

I seem to recall that Lorna once said she didn't eat very many vegetables, either. I'd say we need to see them make something green!

Could someone on the other coast please indicate what is best among the leafy greens at this time of year in Seattle?

Meanwhile, I say, "Let them cook CHARD!"

Chard goes with everything. Otherwise, I'd say beets from root to leaf.

[Basilgirl]

BACON!!!!!!!!!!

What a cool lifestyle...if the Basilman and I ever break up I know where I'm going to move - never been to Seattle but have always wanted to.

Loving the e-g romance...I know this blog will be AWESOME

[scubadoo97]

Great blog! What a wonderful trip and I love all the pictures. An eGullet romance and iron chef competiton to boot. Looks like a lot of fun. Can't wait to see and hear more.

[Pontormo]

Postscript to acknowledge garlic, but that's so Chez Panisse. Something green, dears, something green...

[Megan Blocker]

Hello all. When last we spoke, I had just ended my blog after Lorna had been blatantly flirting with me.

This is the version of the story Henry loves to tell, but he seems to have blocked out the part about how he had been emailing me in hopes that I'd respond to him months before his blog even started! And the part about how he had a weird EG-foodie crush on me.

I can vouch for this!

Awesome, guys...can't wait to see what the week has in store!

[fodgycakes]

I vote for cheese!

I'm very excited about this foodblog, I'm a big Ling fan. I almost never feel envy but I sure do get jealous of the quantity and quality of desserts Ling posts in the dessert thread, hah.

[Ling]

Post the dishes anonymously, so we can vote without playing favorites! 

That's a great idea. We'll post the dishes under "Iron Chef #1" and "Iron Chef #2".

So right now, we're eating some junk we bought...green tea mousse Pocky (I picked that--it's my favourite flavour!) and leftover graham crackers from last night's cheesecake. The cookies are these hazelnut and chocolate cookies the lady at Le Panier gave me as a freebie. (And the bag contains the leftover hazelnuts from yesterday's chocolate tart...I will use them up later this week.)



Before we start cooking, we took a short 5 minute walk to Macrina Bakery so I could get some more coffee. (I usually drink 2 big cups a day. ) Macrina is one of the better-known bakeries in Seattle, and I think most of their breads are pretty good. I've had a few of their pastries and think they're a step up from average, and Henry has had many more of their pastries over the years (at parties, etc.) and shares the same opinion. Henry loves the potato bread there. We also got a brioche roll from Macrina (90 cents) to compare it with the Le Panier brioche (2 bucks each, for about the same size) we're using for tonight's foie gras appetizer.

Here are some pictures!















They are really popular for breakfast/brunch!






The beans they use are from a local roaster--Cafe Vita. In Seattle, I probably get most of my coffee from Macrina because it's not bad and it's so close to Henry's place. We probably won't get the brioche roll again though...it's more bun than brioche. (We tasted the brioche from Le Panier right before we went out to Macrina--you can see part of it in the Pocky picture--and it is much better, although we're comparing brioche to "brioche bun", which may not be the same.)


We're going to start braising the ribs soon, and then Henry has to do some work and I'll bake the cake and kill some time by running to the gym. We're probably going to really start cooking around 5:30pm, and the guests are set to arrive at 7-ish.

(And to answer the question about Peets vs. Starbucks, here is a link that explains their relationship--scroll down to read Bob's response. Peets and Starbucks I don't drink Starbucks coffee, except for an iced Americano when I'm desperate for a jolt of caffeine. My regular morning/afternoon drink is a 3 shot Americano, so when I say I'm getting coffee somewhere this week, you can assume it's a 3 shot Americano with some sugar and a bit of cream. Henry doesn't drink coffee, but I owe him a game of Scrabble when he drives me to Zoka, which is in my humble opinion, the best coffee I've found thus far in Seattle, thanks to mamster's recommendation.)

Edited by Ling, 27 August 2006 - 02:06 PM.