French Pastry in your Kitchen: Pate a Choux

For me, profeteroles (or cream puffs) was the gateway drug, I mean pastry, that ultimately led to my full-blown addiction to baking.

I still remember sitting in my hand-me-down Ikea futon couch one night in my tiny one-bedroom Burbank apartment about five years ago, watching Emeril Lagassi make series of simple baked goodies on his show, in an episode called, “Pastry 101.” One of the pastries he made was profeteroles, and I was so intrigued by its simplicity that I walked straight over to my little kitchen and attempted my first of many pate a choux and pastry cream batches I will ultimately make, even before the show ended. I was especially intrigued by the fact that pate a choux required no stand mixer (some recipes ask for it but you can totally do without it if you choose), yeast, or any complicated and time-consuming steps. All I needed was a medium saucepan, a wooden spoon, a baking sheet and an oven, and ingredients I already had in my refrigerator and pantry (all-purpose flour, butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract). It was as simple as cooking the flour in boiling liquid (water or milk, depending on the recipe you use) with melted butter, and add eggs to it. The only difficult part is trying not to cook the eggs when incorporating them into hot dough.

I’ve tried a handful of recipes (Emeril, Martha, etc.) and although they all gave me wonderful results, I found the ultimate recipe for pate a choux that stood out from the rest, in its airy-but-perfectly-dense texture that I love so much in cream puffs. It is from a book called, “Field Guide to Cookies,” by lovely Anita Chu, creator of my favorite blog, “Dessert First.” (The book is an installment of the “Field Guide” series, a pocket size companion on anything and everything one needs to know on a topic of interest.) The book provides interesting history of every baked goodie imaginable, and although the book is tiny, it contains plethora of helpful hints and baking notes.

The recipe for porfeteroles is available in her book, but you can also find the pate a choux recipe on Dessert First. And if you have never been to the blog, I totally recommend that you grab a cup of coffee, sit down on a comfortable couch and indulge in her beautifully-written stories and salivate over yummy photos of delicious desserts.

Any of you out there who are still intimidated by this fancy French dessert, I hope you will get out of your comfort zone and give it a try. You will be amazed at how simple and fun making these little porfeteroles can be, and the reaction you receive from your friends and loved ones for serving these little heavenly morsels will make you feel like the best pastry chef in the neighborhood.

Just some simple tips:

Use a piping bag (or a plastic bag) to pipe out each dough. Make a swirl (think Pinkberry logo), and go back and put another pat of dough on top before patting it down softly with your finger. I find doing that makes a dough with perfectly-round top.

Make sure to start out at a higher temperature and reduce the heat after a few minutes (follow the recipe). Don’t be lazy! It really makes a difference in the airy-ness of the dough.

Use a serrated knife to split the dough. Fill the dough with anything you like (ice cream, whipped cream) but I find pastry cream to be the best. I highly recommend Emeril’s recipe although Anita’s is magical too.  I also enjoy the simplicity of powdered sugar on top but chocolate, as always, is a perfect topping too, both visually and taste-wise.

Happy baking

Happy Birthday, America! BBQ at Home

As I was wishing my co-workers a wonderful and safe long holiday weekend on Thursday afternoon, I was thinking how quickly time will fly and before I know it, it’ll be Sunday. Well, I was absolutely right on that one. I have no idea where the time went but now, as I write this, it is Sunday and I will be going back to work in less than 20 hours!

Time seems to fly faster more as I age. I remember the year I spent in third grade in Japan and it felt like a lifetime. I still remember my teachers, my classmates, and even some conversation I had with my then-friends. But if you ask me what I had for dinner with my boyfriend last week, you’ll find me at a complete loss.

I wanted to make one dish for this year’s Fourth of July BBQ that will be memorable – a dish that is new, refreshing, and something I’ve never made before. It didn’t have to be mind-blowing or anything, but I wanted to make something that I will remember and perhaps incorporate into my regular repertoire. And Gazpacho came into mind.

I remember watching lovely Ina Garten make this cool, salsa-like summer vegetable soup once on her show and have wanted to try it myself for some time now. I thought this soup would be perfect to feed friends and family gathering to celebrate the Independence Day. The vibrant red color from ripe tomatoes were especially appropriate for the occasion, and the fact that I didn’t have to slave over the hot stove in this 100-plus degree Valley heat made the idea much more appealing!

Making this soup was a bit of a struggle because I don’t own a food processor and I had to chop all the vegetables by hand. I used my cheap, $10 blender to fine-chop half of the vegetables but it was difficult to make sure that I didn’t liquidly the onions and bell peppers! I’m happy with the result though because the vegetables blended nicely, while keeping some chunky pieces for wonderful crunchy texture.

I altered the recipe quite a bit, but you can find Ina’s Gazpacho recipe here.

The rest of the dishes were home runs too, with prosciutto ham wrapped melon as the starter (shown on top).  And thanks to my boyfriend who made panko and almond crusted mahi mahi with homemade tartar sauce …

… and seared albacore with scallion, ginger, garlic, homemade ponzu sauce, and a drizzle of piping hot sesame oil.  He is such an amazing chef and he even caught these fish he cooked with!

My father got busy at the grill to cook up his famous steaks!  He prepared us each a piece of New York steak (below) and filet tenderloin! Talk about a meat overload (and noone was complaining).  I was too busy eating to take pictures but my mother made a lovely pasta salad, and Asian Cole Slaw, our family holiday staples!

It was so wonderful for the Z family and W family to join us for the celebration.  Especially for the W family, this was their baby’s first Fourth of July BBQ and we were so happy to be part of it.

I hope everyone had a wonderfully memorable Fourth of July with your loved ones!

New Summer Staple: Strawberry Kefir Pops

Popcicles take me back to the sweet memories of childhood when food was simple and life was uncomplicated.

My mother used to make these homemade frozen treats with flavored sugar water and I remember eating them in the hot summer days in Japan, often letting the sweet liquid drip down my tiny arm. How I miss the good old days before artificial flavored and colored products invaded the supermarket isles …

I decided to make the homemade dessert today using the popcicle mold I purchased recently but with a little twist. Instead of sugar water, I used real fruits, agave nectar and kefir to make the all-natural version of the summer staple that rivals any frozen yogurt shops around. If you are unfamiliar with kefir, think of it as a yogurt with a punch. It is much tangier than its more popular cousin, with a great health benefits. I love it so much (actually more than yogurt) that I buy mine regularly at Trader Joe’s.  It is available at the refrigerated section next to milk and other dairy products.

Strawberry Kefir Pops
Makes 10 popcicles
(This recipe was inspired by yogurt pops recipe from the June 2009 edition of Yoga Journal but changed the measurements and ingredients slightly.  There is a wonderful article on yogurt titled, “Cool Culture” in the magazine where you can learn about the health benefits of bacteria cultures.)

16 oz fresh or thawed frozen strawberry (1 package)
1-1/2 cups fat-free kefir
1/4 cups agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

① Puree the strawberry in the blender until smooth. You can pass the puree through the strainer into a bowl if you prefer a smooth texture but if you are like me and love those itsy-bitsy seeds, keep it as is.

② Mix the puree, kefir, agave nectar, lemon juice and vanilla extract in a bowl (you can drink it just like this too … it’s a delicious fruit shake!)

③ Pour the mixture into each cavity of the popcicle mold. I used a funnel for easy pouring.

④ Insert the wooden sticks and freeze the mold in the freezer for at least 6 hours.

⑤ When you are ready to eat, you will find that it is quite difficult to remove the pop from the mold. Simply dip the outside of the mold in water (not with warm water because it will melt) and it should slide out easily after about 30 seconds.

When life throws you a lemon, you make lemonade. On the same note, when the Valley throws you a 110 degree weather, you make delicious homemade frozen treat!  And who said you need an expensive ice cream maker to make delicious summertime treats? It’s all about getting back to the old-fashioned goodness.

Father’s Day Dinner: Il Auk Jo

Last weekend was a total chick flick extravaganza for me, indulging in movies like Confessions of a Shopaholic, Bride Wars and He’s Just Not That Into You, with my boyfriend (who slept through most of them ) and gallons of frozen yogurt beside me. Of the three, the only movie that impressed me was Bride Wars (the other two were awful). I will admit that the movie was super predictable — as in most chick flicks — but Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson were so darn adorable that you just have to roll over and laugh!

It was appropriate, especially after the chick flick overdose, that my sister, my mother and I took my father to a local Korean BBQ to celebrate Father’s Day on Sunday. I felt like the visit to the carnivore’s mecca offset the girlie-ness of the previous nights. I’m telling you — eating Korean BBQ totally makes me want to go hunting and gathering, and even grow chest hair. It’s extremely soul satisfying and unbelievable meaty, and I certainly don’t smell like a lady after consuming all that garlic!

My family has been coming to this Korean BBQ restaurant in Canoga Park for years – even before it was named Il Auk Jo. When we first discovered this place more than 10 years ago, it was just a wee joint, small, dinky but with the most delicious banchan and marinated meat around. The then-owner was this wonderful little Korean lady who always stopped by our table to greet us and bring us napkins. We always looked forward to seeing her smile that extended from ear to ear.

The place has since changed and the restaurant, despite renovation and expansion, is now a shadow of its former glory.  The food is still pretty good although not as good as before, we still enjoy coming here nonetheless, on special occasions like the Father’s Day to reminiscent about the memories of the yesteryear.  We love sharing stories on how excited our beloved dog now in heaven, Jasmine, got when we brought home the leftover calbi and beef bones whenever we dine here.  I wish you can see it – her happy dance was absolutely hilarious!

By the way, we ordered our usual again — bulgoki, calbi and spicy pork.  We ordered plates and plates of kimchi and banchan — so much so that our waiter disappeared after a while, probably in fear that we will eat up all the banchan they had! (From looking at the picture here on right, you can probably imagine how horribly I wanted the meat to cook  on the hot grill so that I can dive into them!)

I hope all the wonderful fathers out there had a fun Father’s Day! And to my fabulous dad — you are the best father EVER! We love you so, so much

Il Auk Jo
20200 Saticoy St
Canoga Park, CA 91308
★★★★☆

Welcome Home Dinner: Pho Nga

How much does a girl have to take off to get home around here?

I didn’t think anything of it when I first booked the flight from Indianapolis to Los Angeles — I would board the plane at 8:30 a.m. and arrive at 1:30 p.m. A five-hour flight — no big deal, right? Well, what I failed to realize was that I would arrive to LAX at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, which was really 4:30 p.m. my time (since my body was still operating under Eastern Standard Time). So today, I spent a total of eight lovely hours in a little plane that stopped in Kansas City, Dallas and El Paso, before touching down in Los Angeles. I had to endure four take offs, four landings, four emergency announcements, and four flight attendants telling me to turn off my iPod (it wasn’t even on!). Since I didn’t have any time to run out to get food in between and Southwest Airlines only serves peanuts and little snacks to passengers, I went for eight hours hungry … and tired. But the good thing is that the airline began serving 100 Calorie Snacks and low-fat ginger cookies for snacks, instead of just greasy peanuts, which helped me tie my hunger over until landing.

After P picked me up from the Van Nuys Flyaway (thank you so much!), we went to eat pho. It was such a wonderful treat because I didn’t have a chance to eat any Asian food in Denver and Indianapolis and I was craving some great noodle pretty badly. We went to a Vietnamese restaurant in Canyon Country called Pho Nga that serves, no joke, one of the best pho’s around. You may not expect to find an authentic Vietnamese join in a little Canyon Country suburbia but the food served here can no doubt rival any place in the San Gabriel Valley! God bless P – since she’s a regular, a chef brought out a complimentary order of egg rolls! After I had a satisfying bowl of pho with rare beef and a refreshing spring roll with shrimps, rice noodle and basil serviced with sweet peanut-butter sauce, I knew I was finally home.

Ah, I’m so happy to be home, to my own bed

Pho Nga Vietnamese Restaurant
18741 Soledad Canyon Road
Canyon Country, CA 91351
★★★★☆

Soldier’s and Sailor’s Monument

I just cannot get over how beautiful the Soldier’s and Sailor’s Monument is — standing tall at 284 feet overlooking the city of Indianapolis! (You can read about the history here.)  It is truly impressive! 

Indy definitely grew on me and I am sad to leave this city behind as I head home to the sunny Southern California tomorrow morning. The last four days flew by so quickly and I didn’t have a real chance to explore the culture and the rich history of Indy but when I return next month (more traveling!), I will make sure to take some quality time to walk around the neighborhood and enjoy it a little more. 

I did take a quick stroll around Downtown Indy to check out the nearby shops and the mall and I even made a new friend!

Oh, hello there

It was quite surreal to see carriages in the middle of office buildings like I was in a fantasy movie or something.  I would have loved to see Hugh Jackman appear, dressed as Leopold. 

And a big thanks to Qdoba Mexican Grill for its fresh mango salad which helped me get my healthy eating back on track! I feel much better now than I did in Denver, and I even managed to squeeze in a couple runs on a treadmill at three miles each at the hotel gym

I had a wonderful time in Denver and Indy the last two weeks. Although the trip was long, it was certainly worthwhile. I am now looking forward to coming home and finally sleeping in my own bed. I can’t wait to see my boyfriend, family and friends!

Bringing Back the Cocktail Hour!

I can cross off “attend bartending school” from my “things to do in your lifetime” list, thanks to the fun team-building activity D organized for the five of us tonight at Indy!

We headed over to this little dive bartending school tucked away in a shopping center after work to learn how to make cocktails from an instructor who turned out to be … well … the most unenthusiastic person we’ve ever met (and a prick!). We had to look at each other to make sure that we’re in the right place because we all expected a bartender / instructor to be friendly, social and a burst of energy – characteristics you would think come with the profession – and not, you know, a plain vanilla!

The class, however, was pretty interesting and we learned some new things about the art of mixology. Did you know that the only difference between a Martini and a Gibson is the garnish (Gibson is served with three cocktail onions on a pick, and martini, of course, is served with an olive) and four seconds of pouring equals to an ounce?

Each of us had the chance to go behind the bar and make our favorite cocktail. I made Cosmopolitan because it was the prettiest drink (the light pink from the cranberry juice is absolutely adorable). The funny part about standing on the other side of the bar was discovering that everything in bottles were just a colored-water. I guess it’s too expensive to use real alcohol for practice. What you see in the picture, therefore, is not a real Cosmo (the lime slice made out of a cheap sponge should be a giveaway) — but it looks cute, doens’t it?

Cosmopolitan
2 oz. Vodka
½ oz. Cointreau (orange-flavored liqueur)
Splash of Rose’s Lime Juice
Splash of cranberry juice

For aspiring bartenders to pass the final exam, they would have to memorize 100+ recipes so they come up with creative ways of memorizing them. One way to remember the Cosmopolitan ingredients is by using the first letter of each ingredients (V for Vodka, C for Cointreau, L for lime juice and C for cranberry juice) and call it, “V-ery C-lassy L-adies C-ocktail. I know it’s silly but it seems to work!

Although I don’t drink much, this mixology thing got me interested in learning more about cocktails! Maybe a bartending school is in my future … ? Or not

New City, Renewed Lifestyle: Indianapolis

Hello from Indianapolis

I arrived to Indianapolis on Saturday afternoon and although it’s already been two full days, I can’t seem to get used to the time difference here. It was funny to depart Denver in the morning and arrive to Indianapolis in the late afternoon, although the flight was a mere two hours. It’s even stranger because it doesn’t get dark here until way past 9:30 p.m.

The part of the city I’m staying (called Monument Circle) reminds me of Rome, with Soldiers’ and Sailors’ monument standing tall and proud. It’s quite a monument, and I saw a couple weddings taking place there on Sunday. I can’t wait to venture out the city … but not just yet. I gave myself a permission to be lazy over the weekend without feeling guilty, and I spent most of Saturday and Sunday in bed, watching Gladiator (I heart Russell Crowe) and reading In Style magazine, and just relaxing – something I’ve been waiting to do for weeks!

I am, however, more conscious about what to eat here in Indy. Refusing to repeat my poor eating patterns and sedentary behaviors that I displayed in Denver, I am eating healthier options and staying more active. I even hit the gym and ran three miles on Sunday (and it felt great)! The real challenge begins tomorrow when I report to the office but I know I can stay disciplined — yes I can

I had Perfect Oatmeal and Greek Yogurt for breakfast today (I know that Starbucks is not exactly a place for heathy food, but they are much better than breakfast sandwich with eggs and sausages I ate in Denver). I’m proud of myself that I discarded the granola that came with the yogurt and ate only a teaspoon-full of honey, and used only a sprinkle of brown sugar for the oatmeal. I know that I need to be twice as strong to offset the gluttonous days I spent in Colorado but I’m taking it one (oat) meal at a time!

Hitting it Out of the Ballpark

I never thought this day will come but it is here – we’re done with the week long training! Hooray Looking back, I have no idea how I was able to survive on a diet of junk food, coffee, and only a few hours of sleep a night, but I did it … and that’s all it matters.

This week in Denver was just the beginning and there will be many more sleepless nights to be had, but I’ve decided to put that out of our mind for a night and just enjoy the relaxing game at the ballpark with my amazing teammates!

As I cheered for Ichiro and watched the Rockies extend the winning streak to 10 games, I thought about all the things I learned this week. This week as challenging, humbling and satisfying all at the same time. It was challenging because there were so many balls I had to juggle at once … it was humbling because there were so many things I could and should have done better … and it was satisfying because, at the end of the day, the participants walked away with newfound skills and knowledge that they can take back with them.

I don’t want to sound overly cheesy here but this few months have been one of the most rewarding times of my professional career. It’s amazing how much I gained (in addition to some weight around my hip from eating all those junk food ) working with intelligent, motivated, high performing ass kickers! And to top it off, I established wonderful friendships that I hope would extend beyond the week spent in Denver.

Well, as much as I want to reminiscent over the success of this week, I need to go and start packing because I’m off to Indianapolis tomorrow for another leg of my business trip! Fun, fun!

P.S. Big congratulations to the Pittsburg Penguins for winning the Stanley Cup

Mountain of Fun at Peaceful Valley

Denver is absolutely breathtaking, and when I say “breathtaking,” I mean exactly that. The air is so thin here, I’m constantly feeling like I’ve just ran an 800-meter dash. My boyfriend warned me about this so I wasn’t overly surprised when I first felt out of breath at the airport, but it still surprises me when I start hyperventilating when I least expected it – like when I’m standing in front of a class, training. I hope nobody noticed me breathing into a brown paper bag in the corner of the room

Today was a hump day so we wrapped the training early and all 23 of us headed over to Peaceful Valley, a dude ranch 90 minutes from Downtown Denver, for some fun in the mountains. We had a choice to horseback ride, fish, hike, or shop for our activity and a group of us (all ladies, of course ) decided to indulge in some shopping at the nearby Estes Park. On the way to the Park, our driver pointed out the famously-haunted Stanley Hotel (the locations for the miniseries, The Shining and oddly, Dumb and Dumber) and we decided to stop by there to check out what the fuss was all about. The place certainly was spooky and most of us stayed in the hotel lobby while a couple adventurous ones went looking for ghosts.

When we returned to the Dude Ranch, we were awaited by an awfully embarrasing line dancing lesson (although a couple drinks beforehand eased the pain a bit), a hayride around the ranch and a BBQ in the barn. We were afraid that the rain will pour on us and while it did rain a little, the Mother Nature was very kind to us. We even went up to the top of the mountains for campfire and some s’mores! This was definitely an experience I will remember for a long, long time!

(Here’s us girls posing at the Stanley Hotel.)