David Ross

This isn't an unusual mojito recipe by any means; I mostly just choose ingredients carefully and make sure not to make it too sweet. 2 oz añejo rum (I use Appleton V/X) 1/2 oz fresh lime juice scant 1 tsp demerara sugar 6-8 spearmint leaves Lemon Hart 151 Demerara rum soda water garnish: mint sprig Place mint leaves in the bottom of a sturdy mixing glass (or shaker). Add sugar and lime juice. Muddle the leaves gently against the bottom/side of glass; the goal is to squeeze out some essence, and let the rough sugar abrade the leaves a bit, but not to shred them. Add the rum and stir briefly to combine. Remove the mint leaves. Add ice to shaker/glass and shake for ~10 seconds. Strain into chilled collins-style glass. Add ice cubes -- the bigger the better. Drop in one of the squeezed-out lime shells. Top with an ounce or so of soda water. Float a couple of teaspoons of Demerara 151 on the top by pouring over the back of a spoon. Add a mint sprig and straw; enjoy. Actually, the size glasses we have are perfect for making this a 1.5x recipe (3 oz rum, 3/4 oz lime juice, 1.5 tsp sugar, etc.), but the standard size drink is what I have listed. I've found prefer the añejo rums to silver/white (unaged), however, be careful, as "gold" rums contain sugar and would make this way, way too sweet. Rather than using generic soda water, it might be worthwhile experimenting with one of the Dry Soda products for a flavor twist, though it's possible the flavors would be overwhelmed by the rum and lime. If trying those, though, I'd reduce the granulated sugar a bit. I think any sort of other normally-sweetened soda would be too much. [edit: fixed typos] ← Thanks for the recipe. Would it get off-track if I added a few fresh blackberries or blueberries to the Mojito? If I add berries should I muddle them a bit with the mint or put the berries in whole at the last minute? I had a really good Blueberry Mojito at Spago in Las Vegas one summer that was really great. I think a Mojito might be good with some barbecued meats.

YUM!!! that is so right up my alley!!! wattecetti your food looks wonderful and your commentary made me laugh!!! last night we started with TallDrinkOfWater's special mojitos- these aren't your ordinary sweet drinks! then he made spicy shrimp with chorizo, grilled broccoli and a nice salad ← Could we be so fortunate to have the Mojito recipe? It's going to be really, really hot this weekend and I bet a cool Mojito is going to be in order!

Great recommendations. Thank you. Mark also suggested that given my background, I should approach High Noon or one of the other production companies with my idea. My local PBS station has been very good to me, unfortunately, like PBS national, they don't have much of a budget to produce a local cooking show. I have a good relationship with my local ABC affiliate, KXLY-TV Spokane and they should have some ideas of production companies. It's been a long journey since MasterChef on PBS and trying to crack into the world of cooking on TV. The local people in Seattle and Spokane have seen my work and have directed me to contact national production companies. I do, and usually don't get much response. If I have gotten a response it's been the 'Dear John' type of letter. That old adage is really true-for every one opportunity that comes your way, you get about 50 rejection letters. I'll look into the avenues you and Mark suggested. Thanks for the tips and I'll start a new thread chronicling my journey. Thanks again.

Wow, Mark and I must have ESP. I've been thinking about entering the season 4 competition of Next Food Network Star myself and was getting ready to get everyone's thoughts. I'm struggling with my desire to get into the competition with my issue about the 'commercial' aspects of the show. I'm a serious foodie and cook and I see myself as a serious teacher, not a tv personality. My style is more suited to PBS or Discovery Channel than Food Network. I certainly don't see myself as having the 'tv look' or that shtick type of personality that some 'tv hosts' have, er-selling cars or talking about the best ice cream in America. So on the one hand I don't want to 'dumb down' by personal thoughts about cooking shows on television by entering into a competition on Food Network. On the other hand I could look at it in terms of being a person who could bring a dose of seriousness about cooking back to Food Network. I totally understand the commercial reasons for why they have certain programs, but shouldn't they also balance that out with more serious programs that teach people how to cook and appreciate food ala Rick Stein's show about cooking in Great Britain on BBC America? I've done a 'reality' type of cooking competition on PBS called 'MasterChef USA' where I placed in the top three. I've gone on to do lots of food writing and about 30 cooking segments on local television. Don't know if I'd have to do a demo tape for Food Network or if one of my other tapes would suffice as an entry. I'd prefer to go direct to Food Network to pitch a show idea, but they don't accept ideas off the street-they only accept a 'pitch' for a show from a production company. I figure this might be my best chance to get a show. Or at least see if I can even get a foot in the door and show them I might be a talent of interest. I haven't checked out the website to look at the call for entries and the deadlines and commitments involved. I'll think about it. My idea may not sustain a full show over the long term. Maybe it wouldn't even appeal to the Food Network's mass audience. My concept would be something along the lines of The Pacific Northwest Kitchen with David Ross. Your comments are welcome.

We eat a lot of razor clams here in the Pacific Northwest. They are delicious. I find the best way to eat them is simply fried and served with lemon wedges and tartar sauce. I soak the clams in milk first, then dip them in seasoned flour or store-bought fry mix. I saute them clams in a hot skillet with a mix of both butter and olive oil. Sear them for only about a minute or so on each side to brown the coating and they are done. If you cook them too long they will be so rubbery you can't hardly cut them with a knife. The texture of razor clams is a bit chewy, even if they are cooked perfectly, but that's what I like about them. Lots of meaty clam flavor.

Tonight I actually had leftovers that turned out really good. I had some 'Posole' in the freezer. I made it with grilled pork tenderloin and yellow hominy as the main ingredients in the soup. It really froze well. Then tonight I made some steamed rice and added all sorts of Mexican spices and finished the rice with diced tomato and green onions. Not bad for leftovers.

Definately try Alex. If you met Chef Alex Stratta without having seen the dining room or tasting his food, you would never imagine that he is one of the top chefs in Las Vegas. Probably America for that matter. When I was in Las Vegas in May, I went to a private winemaker's lunch at Alex. As we descended the stairs that have been described as 'out of the movie Hello Dolly' and entered into the dining room, there was Chef Stratta, meeting the guests with crystal flutes of champagne. He is soft-spoken and unassuming. Chef Stratta simply said "welcome to 'Alex,' I hope you like the lunch we have planned for you today." He was almost surprised when I asked him to sign my menu. I got the sense that he was surprised that someone would think highly enough of him to even ask for an autograph, yet he appeared to be quite pleased that I asked. Of course, he gracefully signed my menu and shook my hand and quipped "welcome to Las Vegas." The staff at our lunch was hand-picked since it was a special event, but I would imagine that any of the staff at Alex for dinner would match the seamless service we found at lunch. Just imagine having a very expensive meal and wonderful wines in a very sumptuous, almost ornate room, yet with service that is so friendly you can't believe you aren't in a more casual setting. They make you feel that special and relaxed at Alex. If you aren't a 'foodie,' I am sure they would gently describe to you what the difference is between 'white' and 'green' asparagus and what cheese they used to make the 'white asparagus gratin.' We actually had the delicious gratin as an accompaniment to one of our entrees at lunch. Alex gets plenty of press and good reviews, but since Guy Savoy and Joel Robuchon have moved into town, Alex tends to get put on a tier under their French counterparts. I would disagree with anyone who would say Alex isn't as 'good' as Savoy or Robuchon. It's just a different style of cooking in a different type of setting, but every bit as good in my opinion and in many ways, not as stuffy or formal as Savoy or Robuchon. Try Alex. I doubt you will be disappointed. And since this is the Wing Lei thread, Alex is only a few steps to the right and down the foyer from Wing Lei. Dinner at Wing Lei on Friday. Dinner at Alex on Saturday.

Good Lord those prawns and dumplings look very delicious. Fly some over to me please! Very nice.

Thank you so much! I was surprised at the positive response to the clafoutis in my blog. Nor surprised that is was popular, but it was really popular. Let me know how the Ranier cherries work in your recipe. I think your idea of using a Pomegrante Liquer is interesting. You may want to add a bit of extra sugar as the Ranier's and the Pomegrante are both probably quite tart. What is the name of the Pomegrante liquer? I'd like to experiement with that. Sounds like it might be good for a summer cocktail with lemonade and vodka!

The latter method that you describe where there is this additional cooking step. What is that all about? Is that a faff or what or have i been missing out all this time? Nice looking duck dish David, i've never before seen anyone roast a preserved duck ('wind duck' or 'lap ap'). This type of duck is usually really salty - like Jewish lox salmon or pucker-your-face salty! Usually small amounts are steamed and served as an accompaniment with plain rice along with other dishes. I'll try roasting it next time, did you prepare it anyway before putting it into the oven, like rinsing he cure off? ← Thanks for the nice comments on the salted duck. I didn't rinse it or soak it in water ahead of time. Surprisingly I didn't need to-the duck meat was salty but not overly so. I placed the duck on a rack over a cookie sheet and then poured some water in the bottom of the cookie sheet so that any dripping duck fat wouldn't create a fire in the oven. I turned the oven to broil for the last few minutes to crisp up the skin. I guess I did alright considering I didn't know what the salted duck was when I found it in the market and I sure didn't know how it was traditionally used. Thanks again.

Staying with my Chinese theme this weekend, tonight I made Fried Rice with Salted Duck. I had never used Salted Duck before. I found it in my Asian grocery store. It looked a bit odd-a whole duck flattened out and preserved with a salt solution. I figured it was sort of the Chinese version of Duck Confit. And it actually was like duck confit-salty, preserved duck meat that fell off the bone. I heated the duck in the oven to crisp the skin and then shredded the meat and added it to a basic recipe for fried rice.

Hello all Las Vegas friends. I hope you don't mind the lengthy review. I did an earlier review of Wing Lei that I posted in this thread. But it wasn't really complete so I reworked it and I am posting the revised review today. I mentioned on my weekly foodblog a few weeks ago that I do food writing for fun and practice. So this is simply a piece I wrote for fun and to hone my food writing skills. Hope you like it. And thanks to John Curtas at KNPR in Las Vegas who has given me many good tips on food writing. Steve Wynn is known to have a reputation for superior customer service and an eye for detail when it comes to the planning of the restaurants that inhabit his casino-hotel properties. While it took the other casino-hotel developers in Las Vegas a very long time to realize the importance of fine dining, Mr. Wynn seemed to sense early on that fine dining was just one more element that would set his properties ahead of the competition. Mr. Wynn set a standard that raced ahead of the old-adage that people only came to Las Vegas to gamble. Under his direction, Mr. Wynn set the bar high when it came to designing the restaurants that would be housed in his properties. The element of fine dining at a Wynn property is just one more piece of the luxury puzzle that includes the casino, the hotel rooms, the convention services-it is part of a larger package that keeps people coming back. Mr. Wynn was responsible for bringing Alex Stratta onboard as the head chef at Renoir at the Mirage when he opened that property in 1989. Renoir went on to become one of the few restaurants in America that has ever garnered five-stars from the prestigious Mobil Travel Guide. Mr. Wynn literally topped himself with the opening of the Bellagio in 1993. As he did with The Mirage, Mr. Wynn filled Bellagio with more fine dining restaurants under one roof than any other hotel in Las Vegas. No one else could claim a restaurant stable with such notable thoroughbreds as Todd English at Olives, Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and his Prime Steakhouse, Chef Julian Serrano at Piscasso and the eponymous Maccioni family from New York and their two restaurants at Bellagio-Le Cirque and Osteria del Circo. It wouldn’t be for years after the restaurants at Bellagio opened that the bosses at the MGM and Caesar’s Palace would follow Mr. Wynn’s lead by opening tworld-class restaurants. The MGM opened two restaurants operated by the famed French chef Joel Robuchon and Caesar’s Palace lured Guy Savoy and his son Frank to open a restaurant at their flagship Las Vegas hotel. While some may attach the moniker ‘control freak’ or ‘difficult’ to Mr. Wynn’s passion for excellence, it is a method of madness if you will, that seems to have served Mr. Wynn and his customers quite well over the years. Most of the large casino-hotel resorts in Las Vegas offer some form of Asian restaurant, most often a restaurant serving Chinese cuisine. The Asian demographic is particularly important to the casinos because a large portion of their gambling revenue comes out of the wallets of visitors from the Far East. It is almost a given that any new hotel that rises from the hot desert sand will have a Chinese restaurant with a menu that caters to both Eastern and Western tastes. In Las Vegas, one doesn’t rest on one’s past laurels. It must have been a monumental task for Mr. Wynn to top himself when it came to the planning of the restaurants that would inhabit his newest creation, Wynn, which opened on the Las Vegas strip in the spring of 2005. It has been written that Mr. Wynn did not want to have a bevy of ‘celebrity chefs’ missing in action in his restaurants at the new hotel. Mr. Wynn and I would agree that chefs who send a menu via fax from New York and then show up once every six months to check out the kitchen are not paying attention to the details that will insure quality in the kitchen and in the dining room. Mr. Wynn pursued chefs that would work and live in Las Vegas and devote their energies solely to the stoves at Wynn. It would be a tall-order to pry one of the best Chinese chefs in America to transplant to Las Vegas. But knowing a man like Mr. Wynn can afford to get the best, that is what he set out to do when it came to staffing ‘Wing Lei’ at Wynn. Chef Richard Chen was enticed to relocate to the Wynn from the ‘Shanghai Terrace’ at the Peninsula in Chicago. Chef Chen is a graduate of the CIA-Culinary Institute of America, and is the product of a family raised in the tradition of Chinese restaurants. If you have stayed at a Peninsula hotel somewhere in the world, you are aware that the hotels are on a par with Four Seasons Hotels and Wynn-all five star properties in their own right. Any cook skilled enough to hold down the title of head chef at a Peninsula Hotel is pretty much pre-qualified to work at Wynn. The name ‘Wing Lei’ literally means ‘forever prosperous’ in Chinese and you will be ‘forever prosperous’ after dinner at Wing Lei because of Chef Chen’s unique style of combining traditional Chinese dishes with fresh, seasonal ingredients, a style not found in other high-end Chinese dining rooms in Las Vegas. Chef Chen has said that while he was working in Chicago he learned from Chef Charlie Trotter to set himself apart from other chefs by making his cooking unique-marrying the French concept of using fresh, seasonal ingredients in Chinese cuisine. Chef Chen is said to be fond of using black truffles to make small Chinese style dumplings. Imagine the marriage of Dim Sum with Black Truffles, a French and Chinese culinary match made in heaven. Another unique touch that Chef Chen has instituted at Wing Lei is to offer seasonal tasting menus. I have become a big fan of Tasting Menus. Chefs who push the envelope of creativity by offering tasting menus are breaking out of the mundane and the ordinary. Most Chinese restaurants offer the same 125 dishes every day listed in the requisite categories like Soups, Noodles, Rice, BBQ, Seafood, Poultry, Beef and Pork. You may see other categories like Dim Sum, Fried Appetizers, Cold Appetizers or “Chefs Specialties,” but you probably aren’t going to be offered a Tasting Menu. If you do happen upon a tasting menu at a Chinese restaurant, order it. Tasting Menus at most Chinese restaurants give you the experiences of tasting odd, unknown ingredients you have never heard off, much less eaten before. It is a truly authentic experience to sample ethnic dishes that are not normally served off the regular menu. I made my reservation at Wing Lei online at the Wynn dining reservations website. I inquired in my e-mail if they would serve the tasting menu for a party of one, even though I realized it is normally reserved for a minimum party of two. "Phil" at the Wynn was the gentleman in charge of my reservation and he responded to my request within an hour. In his e-mail reply, Phil warmly informed me that the tasting menu had already been reserved for me and that the entire staff of the Wynn looked forward to welcoming me to Wing Lei for dinner on May 19. I have worked in customer service for 28 years and I congratulate “Phil” on his quick and thorough attention to the details of my dinner reservation. It is apparent to me that Steve Wynn has successfully passed down his ethic on superior customer service to his employees. As you pass through two large doors at the front of Wing Lei, you enter into a dimly lit, small reception area with a tiny bar off to the right. The hostess greets you and then escorts you into the dining room-a space that is light, airy and with open ceilings that tower upwards of 30 feet. On one end of the dining room there is an immense pane of floor to ceiling glass that looks onto gardens and the signature Wynn water feature. There is a small semi-private dining room on the other end of the main dining room. (The night I was there, I witnessed a convoy of silver trolleys being wheeled into the private dining room-each cart laden with a different course celebrating a Chinese wedding). The main dining room appeared to have 25 tables-small, square tables against the walls and large, round tables for parties of 8 or more in the center of the dining room. It is not a large room, but there is a sense of largess to the space and enough room between the tables so that the conversations at your dinner table are kept private. I didn't write down the details of the decor, but it is elegant without being over the top-imagine the finest silk wall coverings rather than decadent 1970’s brushed velvet. The designer's of the room rightly intended the focus to be on the food first and the furnishings of the room to take a seat in the back row so that the food is the star each night. I mistakenly left my digital camera back in my suite at The Venetian. In today’s world of restaurant reporting, it is “de rigueur” as the French would say, to take photographs of the dishes you are eating. Those who find an interest in your writing want to ‘see’ what you are eating as they read through your review. As in all things in American society today, we want instant pleasure, and food photos sate our appetite for putting pictures of food with words about food. I tend to get odd looks from other diners when I am eating alone in a fine dining restaurant-not because I am a single diner, but because I have digital camera in one hand and my pen in the other hand. I somehow find time to take a photo, put down the camera and pick up the fork, take a bite, then pick up the pen and write down my thoughts about each delicious morsel. At least I hope it will be delicious. In addition to the ala’ carte menu at Wing Lei, there were two tasting menus listed on the night I had dinner. Based on my observations of what other people were eating, it appeared as though most of the other diners were ordering off the ala’ carte menu, followed by a few tables that had ordered the Peking Duck Tasting Menu and finally, one happy little man was having the Seasonal Tasting Menu. I was excited that Wing Lei was offering two Tasting Menus in addition to the regular menu. That told me that the Chefs were serious about their food. I was not excited that other diners didn’t appear to be sharing in my enthusiasm for the different menus. I have never understood why people come to Las Vegas and make a reservation at a fine dining restaurant like Wing Lei with the intention to get in and out in time to make the early magic show. It is beyond me why someone would pay upwards of $50.00 for Shark’s Fin Soup, only to slurp it down in record time so they can head across the casino to the newest Cirque du Soleil show. Wing Lei is the type of restaurant that commands you devote an entire evening to enjoying the dining experience. In order to truly appreciate the subtleties of the cuisine of Shanghai, you need to savor each bite and you just simply cannot ‘dine and dash.’ There was a table of 6 seated at one of the large round tables in the center of the dining room-a gentleman and his wife, their three daughters and son-in law. They spent no more than 40 minutes at dinner from the time they sat down until they left the table. One round of drinks, one entrée per person-no sharing, no dessert, no tea, then out the door. They denied themselves a wonderful opportunity that night to leave Las Vegas with the memories of a unique dinner at Wing Lei. When the waiter introduced himself he simply greeted me with "Mr. Ross we have the tasting menu ready for you, will that be satisfactory?" Imagine how comfortable I felt after such a gracious welcome. I explained to the waiter that I was in town to attend the Bon Appetit Food and Wine Focus and that I dabbled in food writing as a hobby. It is always a bit of a tense moment when you are facing down the person who will be spending the evening serving you dinner. You wonder if you will mutually like each other. Will the waiter anticipate your needs? Do they know about the food they are serving? Can they give you insight into each dish on the menu? After our initial exchange, I got the sense that the waiter realized we had something in common-we were both serious about food-especially Chinese food Over the course of the next three hours, he would serve me six unique Chinese dishes. Each dish was gently placed on the table in front of me with the same introduction-“Mr. Ross, your next course is…...” He would continue that introduction of each dish by describing each ingredient in detail and how it was prepared. We talked about flavors, we talked about textures and we talked about Chinese cooking. Course #1-"Grilled Beef Salad with Rice Noodles." This was a simple description to describe a simple dish. It was simple merely because there were only a few ingredients-but the flavors were anything but simple. The salad was a light and refreshing introduction to the heavier flavored dishes to come. The beef tenderloin had been lightly grilled to medium-rare. The rice noodles were flat and thick like pappardelle pasta. The salad was dressed lightly with soy sauce and rice vinegar and garnished with shredded green onions and sweet red pepper. Course #2-"Chicken Soup." The description of the dish on the menu was almost too humble. Then again, maybe the chefs were trying to fool me? List a dish simply as "Chicken Soup" and you probably are thinking it isn’t fancy enough for a restaurant like Wing Lei. ‘Shouldn’t they be serving me Bird’s Nest Soup with Gull’s Eggs?” The waiter brought a covered porcelain bowl to the table. He placed a wide gold spoon next to the bowl of soup. He removed the cover from the bowl, releasing a fragrant cloud of chicken steam. Soft little dumplings that enclosed a center of chicken mousse floated in the 'essence' of chicken broth. A few strips of julienne carrot and zucchini squash were the only garnishes. Course #3-"Live Santa Barbara Spot Prawns." I am intrigued by these basic menu descriptions-what keeps coming to the table is just not basic. I think the chefs are purposely fooling me with their plain menu descriptions. They want to entice me with the written word-then surprise me with food that is exotic and intense in flavor. The waiter told me that the next dish was Spot Prawns that had been brought over from Santa Barbara that morning. "I like these prawns better than lobster” he said. “They have a sweet yet delicate flavor. And Mr. Ross, you know they were swimming in the live tank in the kitchen just a few moments ago." Two large prawns were served on a small, rectangular plate. The prawns had been taken live from the tank directly into a pot of simmering liquid and then gently braised for a few moments to keep them moist. They were served with the head on and the ruby red roe running down the tail. There was a tiny, whole mustard green served on the side. The mustard green was steamed and garnished with a little fried garlic. The idea was for the bitter mustard green to counter the flavor of the sweet prawns. When the waiter saw I was sucking the juices out of the prawn head, he bent over and said "Mr. Ross, I see you really enjoy the prawns. Most Caucasians don't suck the heads, usually only the Chinese know that's where most of the flavor is." In the outside world I suppose one who is concerned with being politically correct would have taken offense to his remarks. But in my world of food and cooking, I took his comments as a compliment to my tastes. It was another small gesture on his part that said ‘welcome, you are having dinner with friends.’ Course #4-“Miso Glazed Salmon, White Bamboo Mushroom Fungus and Pi Leaf Greens.” Miso is salty and can overpower the delicate flavor of salmon if too much is slathered on fish. In this case, the Miso added just a hint of salty taste and the characteristic scent of miso and soy to the tender, medium-rare, salmon. Not too much, not too little. There are hundreds of different types of greens used in Chinese cuisine, but tonight the chef had chosen the leaves from the tender ‘Pi Leaf’ green. The steamed Pi Leaves served as a bed for the salmon. Another foundation for the salmon was shoots of Bamboo Fungus. The waiter told me that “Bamboo Fungus is usually stuffed with dried shrimp or mined pork,” but tonight the chef had only braised the tender, white cylinders. The fungus had a delicate, yet crisp texture and a hint of bamboo flavor. A sauce made from reduced soy sauce and miso was drizzled around the plate. Course #5-“Jasmine Tea-Smoked Chicken, Soy Reduction, Shanghai-Style Pan-Fried Noodles.” A baby chicken had been smoked with the tropical flower scent of Jasmine tea. The chicken was then braised in a sauce based with soy. There must have been a final cooking stage in a hot oven to crisp-up the golden brown, shiny skin of the chicken. Shanghai-Style noodles are thin egg noodles that are the size and texture of angel hair pasta. The noodles were stir-fried with sliced, fresh shitake mushrooms and a mixture of other vegetables. There was a ribbon of reduced soy sauce around the chicken. The sauce was thick, gooey and sweet. It was so delicious I thought I would name it ‘Chinese Molasses’ and bottle it. Course #6-“Dessert Trio.” Those two words, “Dessert Trio”, described the final act in my Chinese banquet for one. The large, square, white platter held three desserts. At one base of the trio was a finger of creamy chocolate mousse encased in a chocolate shell and served with milk chocolate sauce. Next to the chocolate mousse was fresh strawberry sorbet served with poached fresh Lychee fruit. Lychee fruit are juicy little white orbs that taste like a cross between apple, pear and pineapple. The exotic scent of the Lychee smells of roses and tropical orchids. The third side of the trio was a tapioca based dessert. Asians enjoy drinks and desserts filled with little jelly knobs of tapioca. Although I consider myself a connoisseur of Asian foods, I’ve never ventured into the arena of tapioca pearls and chocolate milk. I was served horrific, slimy, tapioca pudding in the cafeteria at Hayesville Grade School in Salem, Oregon, when I was a kid. That memory of reconstituted plastic balls in vanilla pudding has stuck with me for 40 years. I trusted the pastry chef at Wing Lei would help me overcome my tapioca phobia. A small glass held tiny pearls of tapioca suspended in mango mousse with a base layer of coconut. The mango mousse was topped with a little scoop of icy mango sorbet. The trio of desserts was just the right balance of sweet, refreshing and refined flavors and light textures. I mentioned to the waiter that I would like “black tea” with dessert. The tea would be the final trick on the part of the chefs to fool me into thinking that “black tea” is ordinary tea-only to leave me with one lasting, memorable taste sensation. The waiter brought out a small, green, stoneware pot of tea on a tray with one teacup. Before he poured the tea, he described it as “Pur” (pur-eh), black Chinese tea. He asked me if I had ever heard of this variety of tea. Of course I hadn’t, so I indulged him as he gave me a short course on Chinese tea. He explained that the darkest Chinese black tea is called ‘Pur’ and is fermented in blocks of tea leaves. The fermentation process draws out the tea’s flavor, much like the process of fermenting and aging wines. The tea had a smoky, sweet fragrance. The hot tea was satisfying, almost therapeutic, after six generous courses of Chinese delights. The true gauge of an exceptional meal is one that leaves you with memories weeks, even months or years later, of a wonderful dining experience. Wing Lei left me with memories of the flavors of each dish, the aromas wafting through the dining room that evening and the conversations at the table. Chef Chen’s creativity in developing a series of dishes into a seasonal tasting menu is a testament to his creativity and the diligence of his staff to prepare and serve dishes using the freshest, seasonal ingredients available. It is incredibly rare in today's world of poor customer service and bad restaurant food to actually have one's expectations exceeded. Wing Lei excelled on all fronts-the food, the service and the gracious atmosphere that Mr. Wynn and Chef Chen and his staff have created for this special Chinese restaurant at the Wynn Las Vegas.

I use both terms to basically describe the same technique-'velveting' or 'silking' meats or seafood before using them in certain types of Chinese dishes. For years I wondered why the seafood and chicken at a Chinese restaurant tasted so soft and 'silky.' I was never able to figure it out at home until I read about the technique in one of my Chinese cookbooks. Now I use it quite often and I get the same results that you would find in a Chinese restaurant, soft and 'velvety' meats or seafood with a 'silky' coating. I'll have to try the technique of taking the prawns from the cornstarch and egg mixture to hot water before coating the seafood in flour. Delicious.

David~ The prawns look/sound great. When you silk them, do you throw them in water/oil and then drain, and then proceed with coating and the deep frying? ← I take the prawns directly from the 'silk' mixture of cornstarch and egg white directly into the seasonsed flour and then into the oil for deep frying. Using this method seems to help protect the prawns from drying out during frying since they are cloaked in a wrap of silky cornstarch and egg with an outer blanket of flour. When you silk prawns for a stir-fry dish you also take them from the silking mixture straight to a hot wok. I do like to let most of the silking drip off before I put the prawns in the wok. If you miss that step you might end up with scrambled egg white on your prawns. That isn't a bad thing though, just might make the finished dish look odd. The bits of egg white on the prawns will cook and it just adds a bit of nice little pieces of soft egg to your finished stir-fry. That's not a bad thing in terms of taste.

Hey you just gave me an idea. I think I'll be having strawberry shortcake for breakfast today!

I have been dying for a nice strawberry shortcake but our local berries didn't arrive at our produce stands until last week. When I lived down on the Western side of Oregon we picked strawberries in June. Out here in Eastern Washington our growing seasons are about a month behind the West side, thus, no good strawberries until the first of July. I make the 'shortcake' if you will out of an old recipe for 'Biscuits Supreme' from a Betty Crocker cookbook. I am sure there is much debate over what type of 'cake' goes into 'Strawberry Shortcake.' I prefer a denser type of cake like a biscuit. I brush the biscuit dough with melted butter and coarse baker's sugar just before popping them into the oven. After the biscuits have cooled, I dust the tops with powdered sugar. My only mistake, I didn't blob enough whipped cream on top!

Last night I did one of my favorite dishes, 'Salt and Pepper Prawns with Chinese Cabbage Slaw and Candied Walnuts.' I 'silk' the prawns first by marinating them in a combination of corn starch and egg whites. I make a coating out of ground szechuan peppercorns, black pepper, salt and flour. You deep-fry the prawns for a couple of minutes. The walnuts are a great accompaniment for lots of dishes. I saute the walnuts in butter, brown sugar, a bit of water and cornstarch. I add cayenne, cinnamon, ground cloves and five-spice powder as the walnuts are cooking down. You only need to cook them for about 5 minutes, then let them cool on wax paper. You get this sweet, candy coating that has a bit of crunch along with a hint of spice from the different spices. The coleslaw is so easy. I finely shred Napa cabbage and add shredded green onions and diced Chinese pickled cucumber. I buy the pickled cucumber in jars from the local Asian market. The cucumber gives a sweet and sour accent with a bit of crunch to the salad. The dressing is just fresh orange juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, toasted peanut oil, rice vinegar and a touch of granulated sugar. I dress the salad at the last minutes so the cabbage won't get limp. I garnish the salad with both black and white sesame seeds and some fried shallots. Fried shallots are like an upscale version of those funky French Fried Onions we use in Green Bean Casserole. I buy a huge container of fried shallots at the Asian market for under $5.00. Dessert was fresh Strawberry Shortcake. I make my own cakes using an old recipe out of the Betty Crocker cookbook for 'Biscuits Supreme.' I change up the recipe a bit by brushing the tops of the biscuits with melted butter and giving them a sprinkle of coarse baker's sugar just before baking. The strawberries we have this Summer are very sweet and delicious-maybe because their last few days on the vines have been under intense heat. Maybe our string of 95-105 degree days have intensified the sugar in our strawberries. If so, thank you Mother Nature. Enjoy.

Sorry you have had so much trouble with your pie crust. I use this basic recipe for pies and tarts and it never fails me. You may want to try it. For pies I usually use a plain glass Pyrex pie dish. Sometimes I'll use my LeCreuset pie dish. If I am doing a 'free-form' type of tart I use a wooden pizza peel to move the tart from the kitchen directly onto a baking stone in the oven. I never use any type of metal pie tin because it gets too hot too fast, resulting in a crust that bakes too quick while the insides of the pie are underdone. 2 cups all-purpose flour ½ cup cake flour 1 tbsp. superfine granulated sugar 1 tsp. salt 1 stick unsalted butter, chilled ½ cup Crisco shortening, chilled 1/3 cup ice water The cake flour gives the pie dough an extra lift and flakiness. I cut the butter and shortening in by hand using a pastry cutter. I never use a food processor for my pastry dough. The blade runs too fast, cutting the butter and shortening into little grains. When I cut the butter and shortening into the flour by hand I control the size of the butter and shortening. I cut it into the flour until it's the size of baby peas. That will let your butter and shortening melt into shards or layers as it bakes into the flour. That's what will give the finished pie crust that flakiness we like. Add the ice water using a fork and add enough water to form a ball of dough. Wrap it in plastic and then let it chill in the refrigerator for about one hour. This will chill the butter back up which is important to the finished pie crust. Then just roll out the dough before you use it. Works for me so I hope it helps you.

It's not just you - I do the same thing. ← I love your photo of the grinder you use! I use one that was my Grandfather's. He worked in the sheep business in Idaho for many years. I use his old grinder for beef, but I'm thinking he might have used it to grind up lamb.

I must be one of the few old-fashioned cooks out there when it comes to grinding meat at home. I don't use either my food processor or the meat grinder attachment on my Kitchen Aid mixer. I find the food processor blade whirls around way too fast to get the coarse texture I like in ground meat. I seem to end up with something that is the texture of what I would call 'meat pate.' Even if I use the 'pulse' feature and give the meat just a few pulses of the blade, it still seems to be too fine for my tastes. It's sort of the same comparison with pastry dough. I will absolutely never use my food processor to blend pastry dough. The food processor absolutely obliterates the crisco and the butter into tiny little grains. I mix the crisco and butter with the flour by hand using a pastry cutter. Yes, it does take time and is a bit messier than using a food processor, but I can control the size of the knobs of butter and crisco mixed with the flour. The hand-cutting method insures that I will end up with a beautifully delicate, light and flaky pie crust. I've tried using the meat grinder attachment on my Kitchen Aid. While it does a better job of grinding the meat to the texture I want, I find the fat in the meat tends to clog up on the inner-workings of the blade. I use a hand-crank meat grinder that attaches to my counter. You can buy them just about anywhere, but try one of the large Hunting and Fishing centers. They sell them for cheap. Hunters use them for grinding game meat into sausage. Most of the old-fashioned hand-crank machines come with different blade attachments so you can control the texture of the ground meat from fine to extra coarse. I don't have a magical ratio for meat and fat, I just go by what I think will taste good. If we're talking beef, I buy cuts from the chuck with a good amount of fat. Seems to make for juicy hamburgers.

1. Baked Potato made with an Idaho Russet Potato. 2. Mashed Potatoes made with Idaho Russet Potatoes. 3. French Fried Potatoes made with Idaho Russet Potatoes. No further explanation needed, create the images in your mind.

Oh how I miss Seattle's Uwajimaya. We don't have one in Spokane. I especially miss the fresh and live seafood at Uwajimaya. I actually have felt some of your same sentiments about some Chinese foodstuffs based on the media hype of recent days. But most of the products that I feel would be potentially problematic I don't buy anyway. I have heard the recent scare over some tainted Chinese seafood products. Yesterday I heard a report on the radio about freshwater fish being raised in China in ponds without a 'filtration' system. The announcer went on to say how the fish waste was disposed of. No, I won't continue to tell you what he said next. Apparently most of this type of fish is exported to the US frozen. I avoid the frozen or canned seafood at my Asian market anyway. Most of the frozen seafood looks awfully old and dried out. I also shy away from the canned seafood products. There is so much dust on the tops of the cans I reckon it's probably 5 or more years old. So I stick to the stuff I can trust and I buy fresh seafood in my Asian recipes at my local seafood store.

Hmm. Maybe JAG will win and his new show on Food Network will be "Fried Meatloaf with JAG."

Thank you everyone for your sage advice. I do want to correct myself on the first post. I mentioned I was looking for Tom Collins 'mix.' I may have mislead you into thinking that I meant a dry, powedered mix to make a Collins. I meant to say Tom Collins bottled mixer. We could always find it in out grocery stores. Now we are lucky if they put a few bottles of Canada Dry brand out during the Holidays. In any case, I have many recipes to try before I determine which one best suits my tastes. And I can't wait to read the WSJ journal about Collins history. Thanks again.

I reserve the term 'kill me now' when something looks so delicious I want to eat it, then die and go to food heaven. I use the phrase quite often actually. Just about everything looks good to me.