vanilla, bay leaf poached guava

I picked up a guava fruit from the market the other day, and was disappointed to find the pale green flesh upon cutting it open. Where was the beautifully ripe, pink center that's so common of a guava? Well it seems like I purchased an apple guava, one of the more popular varieties here in the Western hemisphere. Guava that is indigenous to Hawaii and Southeast Asia have the more typical pink flesh.

Here, I poached slices of guava and green apple in a simple syrup infused with vanilla bean and a bay leaf. Poached fruit always reminds me of fall; these flavors are perfect to welcome in the new season, and of course, even better when served with a dollop of crème fraîche whipped cream.


Vanilla, Bay Leaf Poached Guava and Apple

1 guava fruit, peeled, seeded and sliced
1 apple, any variety, peeled, cored and sliced
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 vanilla bean
1 bay leaf

1. In a saucepan, combine water, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and bay leaf together, and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and let reduce for 5 minutes.

2. Add the guava and apple slices. Cook until fruit is tender, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely.

kaddo borawni

Hands down the best Afghan restaurant in Baltimore is The Helmand. Dining there is equivalent to dining at a good friend's home, intimate and warm, inviting and familiar. You grow to know the faces of the staff over the years, and grow to love the hearty and filling dishes you can always count on.

The first time I tasted kaddo borawni, I almost fell off my chair it was so good. Pieces of pumpkin are roasted with sugar until they are soft and dripping with sweetness, and served with a garlic-infused yogurt sauce. I have to stop here for a moment, as I wipe the drool off my face.

There are other versions to this dish that in addition to the yogurt, a meat sauce is also served with the pumpkin. I thought, what an interesting combination. I just had to try this out at home. Each component was incredibly simple to make, except for the pumpkin prep: cutting it into pieces and peeling each one with a knife, since the skin was too thick for a vegetable peeler. Here's a quick tip: to open up a pumpkin, just drop it on your kitchen floor a couple of times. The impact will split it open for you.

The resulting dish is so delicious you'll really want to stock up on pumpkins this fall. The flavor combinations are all so unique, and it works! Of course, you can make this dish vegetarian by omitting the meat sauce, just like the way the Helmand serves it up.


Kaddo Borawni

1 sugar pumpkin (about 3 lbs)
4 Tbsp vegetable or corn oil
3/4 cup sugar

2 8-oz. containers yogurt
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 lb lean ground beef
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp fresh minced ginger
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
2 Tbsp tomato paste


1. For the pumpkin: Split open your pumpkin, clean out the seeds and fibers from the core, and cut into small pieces, about 2-3 inches on each side. Carefully peel with a sharp knife or vegetable peeler.

2. Heat the oil in a large stockpot on high heat. Add the pumpkin, stir to coat with oil, cover and cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Transfer the pumpkin into a dutch oven or a large cast iron pot, sprinkle evenly with the sugar, cover, and bake for about 30 minutes in a 350F oven.

3. Meanwhile, make the yogurt sauce. Stir yogurt, garlic, and salt together. Set aside to allow the flavors to intensify.

4. For the meat sauce: Cook the onion in a skillet over medium heat until transluscent. Stir in the beef and cook until lightly browned. Add the garlic, coriander, nutmeg, cumin, and ginger. Cook about 2 minutes to release all the flavors. Add the tomato sauce and paste. You may need to add 1/2 cup of water to thin down the sauce if it is too thick. You want a wetter sauce at this point, as you will need to let it reduce down. Cook for 5 minutes more.

5. To serve: Spoon the pumpkin onto a plate and drizzle with yogurt and meat sauces. Serve warm.

notes from my father's kitchen

As cooks, we all have had or still have great influences in our lives- those persons who have influenced our perspective of food and of the kitchen. That person who taught us to chop vegetables while guarding our small fingers, to make a simple cake batter then let us lick the bowl, to understand the joy of planting seedlings in the spring and reaping the bounty of the earth in our own backyards. These persons, for me, are my parents. They've taught me much, but the example they set in the kitchen has influenced me in ways that are both subtle and profound.

My father has shown me the value of hardship in the kitchen, as he used to work as a chef in a Chinese restaurant. He's also taught me the value of speed, efficiency, and style when it comes to cooking. There's a dramatic flair to his movements in the kitchen, an attitude that puts Yan Can Cook to shame. My mom, on the other hand, is a self-proclaimed non-cook, but in a pinch, can magically whip out a delicious homecooked meal in mere minutes. She did cook for the two of us on many a night when as a kid my dad had to work late. Beyond cooking on the fly, she, most importantly, has instilled in me a love of hostessing, a joy of entertaining. She's always the one to make the first toast, to write labels for dishes in numerous languages to accomodate the non-english speaking guests, to ensure that the bar never goes dry.

Being in their kitchen is more than just being at home for me; it's a classroom of culture, the arts, and the technique of food making.

I was at home this past weekend for a camping trip, just me and my parents in the Shenandoah Valley. On the second day, we hiked 11 miles, drove home, where my parents proceded to cook an extravagant feast for us and a dinner guest. I took notes....

purple skinned broad beans


steamed Chilean sea bass in ginger and scallion sauce

steamed Japanese baby eggplant, from our garden

chili pepper and chicken sauce for the eggplant

for dessert, watermelon from the garden

entangled in cucumbers

this is no illusion

silver speckled heirlooms

chinese-style roast beef sandwich

For a quick dinner tonight, I made roast beef sandwiches on ciabatta, using predominantly Chinese seasonings. My dad made is famous roast beef tenderloin for me, marinated in soy sauce, ginger, garlic and scallions. We eat it at home thinly sliced, with a soy-garlic dipping sauce, as a cold appetizer. Traditionally, instead of using the lean tenderloin, we use a cut of beef that includes some tendon, to give a chewier texture. My grandfather usually will make a cold meat platter that includes this beef, stewed tongue, liver, and other assortments of tripe and tendon.

For the roast beef: you can use thin shaved deli beef.

Cilantro-Five spice mayonnaise: Mix together 1 tsp finely minced cilantro, 1 tsp five spice powder, with 2 Tbsp mayo.

Caramelized onion and pepper in oyster sauce: Saute thinly sliced vidalia onion and red bell pepper in oil until browned and soft. Add 1/2 tsp sugar and continue to saute another minute. Add 1 Tbsp oyster sauce and stir to combine.

Cut open ciabatta rolls and lightly toast. Smear a layer of mayo on the bottom ciabatta slice, stack the beef, top with a mound of onions and pepper, and cap off with ciabatta top.

zucchini cheddar madeleines

Madeleines, for me, epitomize everything that is good and right about the biscuit. It is 1) highly dunkable, preferably in a steaming cup of coffee or tea, 2) the most perfect texture, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, 3) so delicious and buttery with just the right amount of sweetness, and 4) elegantly shaped with scalloped ridges to soak up the aforementioned coffee or tea.

But what about a savory madeleine? Can it be done?

Why, yes! These madeleines are soft and porous on the inside, with the same crisp exterior, made even better with the addition of cheddar cheese. I added grated zucchini for flavor and texture. Have these as a dipping agent for soups, a side to salads, or just to munch on, warm straight from the oven. Of course, you can use any type of cheese you like, gruyere, parmesan, roquefort...along with any type of grated vegetable- try butternut squash or shredded carrot. Savory madeleines are the newest thing, I'm telling you first...


Zucchini Cheddar Madeleines
makes 24

3 zucchini, medium, shredded
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp salt
1 small onion, diced
1 cup flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
4-5 large eggs (more for a fluffier biscuit)
2 Tbsp milk
1 heaping cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 clove garlic, minced fine
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Grease and flour 2 madeleine pans (standard, not mini size).

2. In a large bowl, toss zucchini with salt, and let stand for 30 minutes. Rinse the salt off with water, and in batches, use your hands to squeeze out any moisture.

3. In a skillet, heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil, and saute the onion until lightly browned. Let cool.

4. In a bowl, mix together flour and baking powder. In another bowl, whisk eggs, milk, remaining olive oil, cheddar, garlic, basil and pepper together until blended. Gently fold in zucchini and onion, then the flour mixture. Be careful not to overmix, as you are aiming for a tender batter.


5. Spoon the batter into the madeleine pans, to the rim of each. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until golden and puffy. Cool for 10 mintues, and invert pans to loosen. Serve warm.

Give me more!

steamed daikon cake

Also called turnip cake, this dish is a traditional Cantonese snack which you'll find at most all dim-sum restaurants. The batter is shredded daikon, rice flour, Chinese sausage, and dried shrimp. Then poured into a shallow pan, it's steamed, sliced, and pan fried.

This is one of my favorite comfort foods. There's something about the crispy caramelized crust and the soft innards with strips of daikon and savory bits of sweet sausage. I like to dip mine in Chinese "sweet flour sauce," a sauce that's commonly eaten with "moo-shu"type dishes of stir-fry and thin pancakes. You can find it in the condiment aisle of the asian market.


Daikon Rice Cake

3 cups shredded daikon
2 cups rice flour
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/8 cup diced Chinese sausage
2 Tbsp dried shrimp, chopped

1. For the daikon: peel and shred the daikon on a box grater. Place in a medium pot, cover with water, and boil with cover on for 20 minutes. Drain, reserving a little of the liquid.

2. In a small skillet, cook the sausage and shrimp together with a bit of oil until it starts to brown.

3. Mix together rice flour and water into a thin batter. Stir in the salt, pepper and sausage mixture. Pour this back into the pot with the daikon. Stirring, cook over low heat for 1 minute. Beware of lumps.

4. Line a 8-inch round cake pan with plastic wrap, leaving a 1/2 inch edge to drape over the sides. Pour the daikon batter into the pan, and steam for 40 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and slice into flat slabs.

5. Pan fry the pieces of daikon cake until golden on all sides. Serve with sweet flour sauce or sauce of your choice.

definition: french gnocchi

photo from North Point Journal

Last night on the Top Chef finale, Dale had planned to do a gnocchi dish which I'd never heard of, French gnocchi.

Curiousity peaked, I did a bit of research. In French gnocchi, there is no inclusion of potato. The dough instead, is a pâte à choux, or a common pastry dough used for cream puffs, eclairs, and gougeres. The dough is cooked over a low heat, to dissipate any moisture, eggs are then added one by one. The dough is then piped into little nuggets and dropped into boiling water to cook. The resulting gnocchi is incredibly light and tender.

Of course, there are so many other types of gnocchi out there:

potato gnocchi- traditional, made with boiled mashed potato
gnocchi gnudi (from Tuscany) - also called "strozzapreti", made with spinach and ricotta
gnocchi alla romana- made with semolina, then baked

Due to the large population of Italian immigrants in Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela, gnocchi has made its way into South American cuisine. They are referred to as ñoquis, and are traditionally eaten on the 29th of each month., when families had fewer funds, and this was a means of getting by.

the red star

Today, as I was reading fellow Baltimore food blogger Marginal Foodie's recent restaurant reviews (and there are many!) I came across a mention of the Red Star in Fells Point. This jogged my memory...I was there two weekends ago for a lovely Sunday brunch. I had however, forgotten to post, as I was admist my brief brain-death pre-LSATs mode. So here it is, lots of gratuitously mouth-watering, pictures of eggs and potato and cheese...

The Red Star rides on the wave of the new gastropub. Clean and sleek, with vaulted ceilings of dark wooden beams and rafters, and tons of exposed brick walls, this bar still manages to maintain a sporty neighborhood feel. It's owned by the same people as the Waterfront Bar, also in Fells, on Thames. There was a large group of us, 8 total, and we comfortably seated ourselves on bar stools around a long table in the middle of the restaurant. As brunch progressed, it got louder and louder, as more and more Ravens fans showed up to watch the game.

A couple of us got their "bottomless" mimosas. For about $9, you choose between mimosas or bloody marys. The oddest thing: the mimosas were served to us in pint glasses...with straws! We saw the bartender premixing them in large pitchers. I guess it's really not that surprising since it is a...bar, duh. The straws though...hmm.


I ordered the crab hash with poached egg and hollandaise. (I apologize, the name of the dish is escaping me.) Jumbo lump crab mixed with a hash of potatoes and sweet potatoes. It was good, but if you're expecting a hash, you may be disappointed. It seemed like the crab was simply tossed with the hash, instead of cooking everything together to let the flavors meld. I also found bits of chicken in my hash, which didn't belong there. The egg was perfectly poached though.

This was more of an open-faced omelette than it was a frittata. On the menu, it was called the Farmer's Market Frittata, or something to that effect. There were about 10 different veggies and meat in it...a true brunch smorgasbord!


Eggs benedict. A very straightforward and clean dish. The only complaint was that the portions were slightly wimpy. The fruit salad of melon and pineapple was a nice addition, though some of it tasted like Old Bay from the hash.


Steak and eggs! No complaints here. A real manly man's kind of brunch dish. Again, the same hash and fruit salad, with one kicker...toast!


The Good Burger, rightly named since it was full of all kinds of good things: bacon, mushrooms, cheese, onions, tomato... According to my friend who polished it off, it was quote "GOOD."

Overall, the food is hearty and filling, but in my opinion, not extremely creative nor comforting. The dishes will not be appearing in my dreams anytime soon. I have a feeling there is a rather large tub of premade hash sitting in their kitchen, that's dished out onto every plate, with or without lump crab. Oh and a big can of Old Bay too. I'd most definitely go back, but probably to get some finger foods or a beer or cocktail from the bar. A sidenote: I did get 10% off our total bill. If you're a Charm City yoga cardholder, you can get the discount when you present your server your card.



Red Star Bar & Grille
906 S. Wolfe Street
Baltimore, MD 21231

pandan panna cotta

If you've ever been to an Asian bakery, you may have seen cakes and rice desserts that glow with a pale grassy hue. No, definitely not lime. And if not green tea flavored, they are mostly likely pandan-leaf flavored. The pandan leaf is a common food flavoring in many Southeast Asian dishes, mostly for desserts, some stews, and steamed rice. It imparts a delicate nutty taste, almost like fresh-cut grass, incredibly fragrant.

The leaves are long, deep green, and blade-like:


In many savory dishes, they are tied into knots for flavoring broths. And much easier to work with:


In desserts, bakers' favorite use of pandan is in sponge and chiffon cakes. These cakes, one of my favorites, are ethereally light and faint green. Another popular set of desserts in which pandan is a dominant flavor are kuihs. These are small sweet bite-size snacks made of rice or tapioca flour, usually flavored with coconut and pandan.

I wanted to use this traditional Asian ingredient in an Italian dessert, panna cotta. The result is a light, delicate, creamy pudding. I paired this with a coconut crème anglaise, which beautifully rounded out the nutty flavors of the pandan.


Pandan Panna Cotta with Coconut Crème Anglaise
serves 4-6, depending on the size of the mold

1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
4 tsp gelatin powder
5-6 Tbsp sugar
4-5 drops green food coloring
1/2 tsp pandan essence
5 stalks pandan leaf

2 egg yolks
2/3 cup coconut milk
scant 1/3 cup sugar

1. For Panna Cotta: In a food processor, blend milk with pandan leaves for 30 seconds. Strain the mixture. Add food coloring to the milk and stir well.

2. Put milk in a saucepan. Sprinkle gelatin over top, and let sit for 10 minutes to allow it to soften. Gently heat milk to 140F. Turn off heat and whisk in the heavy cream and pandan essence. Make sure there are no lumps from the gelatin. Pour into molds and refrigerate for 4 hours to let set up.

3. For Coconut creme anglaise: In a small saucepan, heat the coconut milk to a gentle boil, and turn the heat off. In a separate bowl, whisk together the yolks and sugar until it becomes shiny, about 1 minute. Pour the hot coconut milk slowly into the yolk mixture, continuously whisking. Pour it all back into the saucepan, and cook over low heat until the cream coats the back of your spatula or spoon.

4. Pour the cream into a bowl, and immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap so that no skin forms. Let cool to room temperature.

5. Plating: Quickly dip the panna cotta molds into hot water. You may also need to run a knife around the edge to loosen. Invert the mold onto a plate. Drizzle with coconut crème anglaise.