my take on Pho

Vietnamese Pho Bo

from one of my reads: http://steamykitchen.com/271-vietnamese-beef-noodle-soup-pho.html

adapted from

Ingredients:

THE BROTH
2 onions, halved
4" nub of ginger, halved lengthwise
5-6 lbs of good beef bones, preferably leg and knuckle
1 lb of beef meat - chuck, brisket, rump, cut into large slices [optional]
6 quarts of water
1 package of Pho Spices [1 cinnamon stick, 1 tbl coriander seeds, 1 tbl fennel seeds, 5 whole star anise, 1 cardamom pod, 6 whole cloves - in mesh bag]
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt (halve if using regular table salt)
1/4 cup fish sauce
1 inch chunk of yellow rock sugar (about 1 oz) - or 1oz of regular sugar
THE BOWLS
2 lbs rice noodles (dried or fresh)
cooked beef from the broth
1/2 lb flank, london broil, sirloin or eye of round, sliced as thin as possible.
big handful of each: mint, cilantro, basil
2 limes, cut into wedges
2-3 chili peppers, sliced
2 big handfuls of bean sprouts
Hoisin sauce
Sriracha hot sauce

Directions:

Char: Turn your broiler on high and move rack to the highest spot. Place ginger and onions on baking sheet. Brush just a bit of cooking oil on the cut side of each. Broil on high until ginger and onions begin to char. Turn over and continue to char. This should take a total of 10-15 minutes.
Parboil the bones: Fill large pot (12-qt capacity) with cool water. Boil water, and then add the bones, keeping the heat on high. Boil vigorously for 10 minutes. Drain, rinse the bones and rinse out the pot. Refill pot with bones and 6 qts of cool water. Bring to boil over high heat and lower to simmer. Using a ladle or a fine mesh strainer, remove any scum that rises to the top.
Boil broth: Add ginger, onion, spice packet, beef, sugar, fish sauce, salt and simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the beef meat and set aside (you'll be eating this meat later in the bowls) Continue simmering for another 1 1/2 hours. Strain broth and return the broth to the pot. Taste broth and adjust seasoning - this is a crucial step. If the broth's flavor doesn't quite shine yet, add 2 teaspoons more of fish sauce, large pinch of salt and a small nugget of rock sugar (or 1 teaspoon of regular sugar). Keep doing this until the broth tastes perfect.
Prepare noodles & meat: Slice your flank/london broil/sirloin as thin as possible - try freezing for 15 minutes prior to slicing to make it easier. Remember the cooked beef meat that was part of your broth? Cut or shred the meat and set aside. Arrange all other ingredients on a platter for the table. Your guests will "assemble" their own bowls. Follow the directions on your package of noodles - there are many different sizes and widths of rice noodles, so make sure you read the directions. For some fresh rice noodles, just a quick 5 second blanch in hot water is all that's needed. The package that I purchased (above) - needed about 45 seconds in boiling water.
Ladling: Bring your broth back to a boil. Line up your soup bowls next to the stove. Fill each bowl with rice noodles, shredded cooked beef and raw meat slices. As soon as the broth comes back to a boil, ladle into each bowl. the hot broth will cook your raw beef slices. Serve immediately. Guests can garnish their own bowls as they wish.

Project MMB

Mug Microwave Brownie

4 Tablespoons Flour
4 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Tablespoons Cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil (Don't use one with a strong flavor, eg olive, sesame, etc)
2 Tablespoons Water
Dash of salt
Mug
Microwave

Add the sugar, flour, cocoa, and salt to the mug and mix. Then add the oil and water and mix the dry and wet ingredients together. Be sure to be thorough, there's a tendency for clumps of the dry ingredients to form.
Microwave on high for roughly a minute. You may have to microwave it longer or shorter, depending on your microwave, but the brownie should still be wet in the center when done.

It's done! Let it cool, grab a spoon, and dig in straight from the mug.

Recommendation: adding a scoop of ice cream for maximum deliciousness with a dash of cinnamon on top!

www.instructables.com/id/Mug-Brownie/

THE Burger

"It’s so much more than “just a burger”. I mean…that first bite—oh what heaven that first bite is! The bun like a sesame freckled breast of an angel resting gently on the ketchup and mustard below—flavors mingling in a seductive pas-de-deux And then…a pickle…the most playful little pickle! Then a slice of tomato, a leaf of lettuce and a…a patty of ground beef so exquisite; swirling in your mouth breaking apart and combining again in a fugue of sweets and savor so delightful. This is no mere sandwich of grilled meat and toasted bread, Robin: this is God…speaking to us in food."

~How I Met Your Mother, Season 4, Episode 2 " The Best Burger in New York", Marshall's Burger Speech

I cannot find a better description of the experience when savouring THE best burger I have (yet) to have!

a relaxing afternoon

Cova @ Pacific Place

Appertizer Buffet

Linguine with shrimp

I'm never a fan of their dessert buffets because there would be hordes of loud shoppers who have tea just to rest their legs and brag about their purchases. Not very good for the ambience and their best cakes are never included. 

But lunch and dinner is different. Food is not served for the sake of shooo-ing the clientele, hoping they would finish and leave soon for the next rowdy group. 

I love their pasta, simple, nothing fancy or out of the ordinary, but it's the easiest dishes that makes it more difficult to taste good. Just chewy at the center of the linguine, not over-soaked with extra virgin olive oil, topped with garlic and fresh chilli, you could toss the shimmering pasta but no oil would be dripping from it. Coupled with a refreshing sparkling wine, you'd have a delightful meal, naturally lit by the afternoon sun seaming through the glass ceiling.

I'm so doing this!

ESSENTIALS OF FINE COOKING @ The French Culinary Institute, NY
 
Transform yourself into a powerhouse in the kitchen

The place: your own dining room. The time: a Saturday evening, just a couple of months from today. The setting: Your table is filled with happy guests - and they're raving about the spectacular Lobster Fra Diavolo dinner you prepared.

Sound far-fetched? It isn't. Whether you're a confident cook or a total neophyte, Essentials of Fine Cooking will help you become a star in your own kitchen in just eight sesions. You'll learn everything from how to deftly slice an onion or gently poach a fish to creating 25 classic recipes, and you'll love the entire experience. Our Total Immersion^SM approach is the reason. You learn up close and hands-on in small classes taught by the same dynamic, passionate chefs who train our career students. Lessons are as fun as they are intense, and you'll find yourself picking up new techniques, skills, and recipes faster than you ever thought possible. Best of all, you'll leave with memories of an exciting, inspiring experience, and culinary gifts which you—and your very lucky guests—can enjoy for a lifetime.

curriculum

Students prepare twenty-five delicious recipes, great dishes designed to impress your guests and let you practice your skills. So fine cooking becomes easier and more fun. Recipes range from Trout Marinated in White Wine with Green Peppercorns to Roast Chicken with Tarragon-Mustard Cream Sauce and Roast Potatoes, to Lobster Fra Diavolo. Each one is very different and all delectable. Classes are small so reserve your place now!
Essentials of Fine Cooking
You can acquire the skills and techniques to do all this:

• Marinades, compound butters and emulsified sauces
• Poaching, roasting, and sautéing fish
• Roasting and sautéing poultry
• Braising and sautéing white meats
• Stocks, sauces, and soups
• Grilling and stewing red meats
• Preparing shellfish in sauce, steamed, and baked
• Hygiene, safety, and methodology, including safe and effective knife work

Extremely Easy Leek and Potato Soup Recipe

I love veggie, but somehow I really hate creamy mushroom, asparagus or broccoli soup. Aaack...... That earthy, complicated taste is so revolting! 
But leek is different. It has a 'simple' and crisp flavour, sometimes a tinge of spiceness, like mild flavoured onions. And so I tried different leek soup recipes : creamy; red ( with tomatoes); clear consommé and I landed with one I think is extremely easy to prepare, and brings out the essence of leek.

Make good use of your blenders!

Ingredient:

1 tbsp vegetable oil 

1 onion, sliced

225g/8oz potatoes, cubed

2 medium leeks,sliced

1.2 litres/2 pints vegetable stock 

150ml/5fl oz double cream or crème fraîche 

salt and freshly ground black pepper 

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onions, potatoes and leeks. Cook for 3-4 minutes until starting to soften.
   
2. Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Season well and simmer until the vegetables are tender.
   
3. Whizz with a hand blender or in a blender until smooth. Reheat in a clean pan, stir in the cream or crème fraîche, heat through and serve.
   

Source:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/leekandpotatosoup_1920