New Year's Eve special: Caviar, Cassoulet, Goat-cheese mousse

12-31-2011 Sat. mild, sunny.



WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee baileys | grapefruit | croissant
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- green tea | tangerine
DINNER --- smoked salmon and smoked salmon roe caviar, served with creamy mustard sauce, watercress, and radish | cassoulet : slow-baked pinto beans, duck confit, smoked bacon and sausage | dessert: goat cheese mousse with fried bread crumbs, balsamic dried cherry compote, tangerine and lime granita | wine

table for the New Year Eve

layering and baking cassoulet



caviar and smoked salmon


duck confit and sausage cassoulet


goat-cheese mousse, tangerine granita

• duck confit cassoulet is an extreme example of slow-cooking, a whole process of several days of patient reduction of ingredients into concentrated flavors and tender creamy but not mushy textures
• the desserts ( recipes from Del Posto) play salt, olive oil, balsamic vinegar with honey, fruit, and sweetened goat cheese and cultured cream.
  

pinto beans

12-30-2011 Fri. mild, sunny.


BREAKFAST --- coffee with baileys | ciabatta | french brie | grape fruit
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- tea | tangerine
DINNER --- Thai hot & spicy seafood soup | sauteed baby spinach | stir-fried chive flower, smoked tofu and Chinese bbq pork | rice | wine

pinto beans

simmered pinto beans

• pinto beans are slow-cooked with thyme, garlic and olive oil, prep for cassoulet of the New Year Eve dinner tomorrow
  

popover and Thai hot & sour seafood soup

12-29-2011 Thu. cold, cloudy.


BREAKFAST --- coffee with baileys | popover | apple
LUNCH --- pasta with porcini sauce
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- green tea
DINNER --- Tom Yum Talay :Thai-style hot & sour seafood soup with squid, shrimp and broth of lemongrass, Kaffir lime leaves, leek, ginger,Thai chili, lime juice, and fish sauce | stir-fried winter bamboo shoot, carrot and black mushroom | rice | wine

popover



lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, mushrooms


Tom Yum Talay

• popover is so dramatically popped over... one egg for all and in the oven for 45 minutes at 375 degrees
  
• Tom Yum Talay is Thai-style hot & sour soup with seafood, rather different flavor from its Chinese counterpart, lighter and more fresh ingredients to provide the hot and sour taste.
  

Rigatoni ai Porcini alla Pugliese

12-28-2011 Wed. cold wind, sunny.



BREAKFAST --- coffee with baileys | Norwegian pancake with apple
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- tea | clementine
DINNER --- pasta with Apulian-style porcini sauce, served with hot pepper sauce and grated sheep ricotta cheese | stir-fried green beans with black pepper sauce | wine

deep colored and strong flavored porcini sauce



additional hot pepper sauce



Rigatoni ai Porcini alla Pugliese

• it takes hours to reduce the sauce, a key element to intensify the flavors from tomato, procini and onion.
  

Japanese vegetables from the new world

12-27-2011 Tue. chilly, rain.



BREAKFAST --- coffee with baileys | scallion pancake | apple
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- green tea
DINNER --- tempura of shishito peppers with dashi dipping sauce | baked Japanese sweet potato fries | sauteed pea leaves, radicchio and mushroom with garlic sauce | wine

• both peppers and potatoes in Japan become sweet.
  

Dim sum, north of Canton

12-26-2011 Mon. cold, sunny.


WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee with baileys | Norwegian pancake with apple
LUNCH --- ( at A & J Chinese restaurant ) fried twist bread | congee | wonton soup | spicy beef noodles | pan-fried pork dumplings | Chinese-style empanada | young mustard green with tofu skin and fresh soy bean | threaded chicken and bean noddles with peanut butter sauce | Sichuan pickled cabbage | pickled cucumber with hot chili sauce
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- tea | kumquat
DINNER --- fried rice with fresh winter bamboo shoot and celery | sauteed pea shoots with garlic | wine

• comfort food day
  

a mossy Buche de Noel for a merry Christmas

12-25-2011 Sun. cold, sunny.


WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee with baileys | homemade orange bread | cheese | grape fruit AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- Thai-style scallop fritters | Shanghai-style pan fried lotus root with shrimp paste | pita chips with hummus dip | beer
DINNER --- fried silky tofu and shishito peppers with dashi and ginger blossom | saffron seafood stew | homemade fan tan bread | broiled red pepper, garlic, shallots and baby carrots with rosemary | sauteed green chard with garlic and pomegranate | saffron rice | duck confit | wine || Buche de Noel ( homemade Mossy Yule log with matcha Japanese green tea powder and caramelized kumquat ) | cognac

Thai-style scallop fritters with kaffir lime leaves

Japanese fried silky tofu and shishito peppers


Mediterranean saffron seafood stew


duck confit, saffron rice and vegetables

chocolate yule log, green tea moss, kumquat mushrooms





the real mossy log in BC forest




cognac

• the holiday dinner marathon started from Thailand, to China and Japan, then went around Mediterranean , ended in France with some Asian fusion.
  

rolling out Orecchiette

12-24-2011 Sat. cold, sunny.



WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee with baileys | bread and cheese | apple
LUNCH --- ( at Petits Plats french restaurant ) onion soup | escargots with garlic parsley butter | ratatouille | potato fries
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- tea | roasted seeds
DINNER --- grape fruit salad with greens and cheery tomatoes | Orecchiette ai Porcini alla Pugliese ( handmade orecchiette with traditional Apulian porcini tomato sauce ) | baked bronzini with garlic parsley sauce | wine | ice cream and chocolate crepes

tea snacks



grape fruit salad



making "little ears"


Orecchiette ai Porcini alla Pugliese

• it took a couple of hours to make the intense flavored tomato porcini sauce, another hour to kneed and knife-roll those little ear-shaped pasta. the recipe is from Oreste and the excellent dish is accomplished by D.D.
  

Izakaya and Kamameshi

12-23-2011 Fri. mild, cloudy.


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- soup dumplings with fillings of scallop and watercress
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- tea
DINNER --- ( at Kushi Izakaya ) monk fish patte with ponzu sauce | seared and simmered scallop | robata wood grilled miso black cod | grilled skewer of duck breast & scallion | grilled eringi mushroom | seared and simmered beef | beer || (at Kotobuki Kamameshi ) shumai dumplings | sunomono salad ( seaweed, cucumber, salmon, flounder ) | clam miso soup | kamameshi ( seasoned rice , eel and vegetables in traditional iron kettle ) | sashimi of tuna and flounder | pickled vegetables | simmered greens with bonito flake | beer

small plates at Kushi

wagyu beef

****


at Kotobuki

shumai, miso soup, sunomono salad


sashimi, pickled vegetables


kamameshi , a special traditional iron kettle rice dish
(the right-side picture is from a Kyoto restaurant)



seasoned rice with eel and vegetables

• a two-stop dinner of Japanese cuisine.
  
• Kushi Izakaya serves small plates mostly grilled, ingredients pretty authentic, but the restaurant does not feel like an izakaya.
• Kotobuki Kamameshi is very cozy and warm neighborhood place with great traditional food with no pretension. It probably is the only place in the US to serve kamameshi iron kettle rice, the flavors and the rice crust at the bottom resemble the best paella in Spain, at Restraunt L'Alter.
  

Ma-po tofu

12-22-2011 Thu. mild, rain.


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- pasta with ragu sauce
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- pear
DINNER --- ma-po tofu | scrambled eggs with tomato and scallion | stir-fried red cabbage | rice | wine

• at the end of the day...
  

chorizo ragu sauce

12-21-2011 Wed. mild, cloudy.


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- ( at C. B. restaurant ) stir-fried string beans | scallion beef | Singapore noodles | Chinese doughnut
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- apple
DINNER --- broiled vegetables with rosemary ( red pepper, onion, garlic and potato ) | pasta with ragu sauce ( chorizo, onion, tomato and radicchio ) | wine

• a ragu sauce with strong smoky flavor from chorizo
  

simple Tuesday

12-20-2011 Tue. chilly, cloudy.


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- sweet sour red cabbage, potato and sauteed beef scallop
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- pear
DINNER --- stir-fried spiced cabbage | broiled chicken drumette | rice | wine

• quick meal.
  

Turkish clam rice

12-19-2011 Mon. cold, cloudy.



BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- apple
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- (holiday party at work) wine, cheese, finger food
DINNER --- Turkish clam rice | sauteed baby spinach with pine nuts and garlic | sauteed radicchio and mushroom | wine | mini pumpkin cream cake

• Turkish clam rice has been an old family stand-by, a simple and delicious one.
  

homemade bread

12-18-2011 Sun. cold, cloudy.


WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee | apple | homemade orange bread
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- green tea
DINNER --- homemade dark rye bread | sauteed young kale with garlic | pan-fried beef scallop with wine mushroom sauce | wine

• dark rye bread goes well with beefy sauce
  

Beer and dark rye bread

12-17-2011 Sat. cold, cloudy.


WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee | pancake | homemade orange bread | orange juice AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- green tea
DINNER --- ( a vegetarian German dinner for Oreste and Francesca ) pretzel and mustard cream dip | nuts and cheese | Local #1 Brooklyn | carrot and leek soup | homemade German dark rye bread | Schneider Weisse | sweet and sour red cabbage | German potato pancakes | Beer brat ( vegetarian German style sausage ) | Speakeasy ( IPA ) | cheese plate: Bavarian blu, Gouda, Norwegian goat cheese | apflestrudel ( apple strudel ) | Black Chocolate Stout | Grappa

• a belated Oktoberfest of hearty German food and an array of beer.