Fruits in Home Cooking

It has been a peachy summer! I have to give credit to a former coworker who introduced me to my first peach cobbler. She warned me before my first bite that I was getting a real treat because doughy cobbler is hard to find. I was hooked since then and luckily for me I was able to find the recipe online. Now that I have my own kitchen I've made this Peach Cobbler "The Pastry Version" about 4 times and it's darn good.

I double the dough recipe and add an extra peach or two. I like fresh peaches and I prefer to buy organic because peaches rank high in the pesticides department. Leftovers reheat well in the microwave, about 2 minutes. It pairs well with plain vanilla ice cream. I've also learned that a blueberry compote, warm or cold, goes well with this dish.

I had some extra blueberry compote from my pancake adventure yesterday.

This was Saturday's breakfast. Orange Ricotta Pancakes with Blueberry Compote.

I woke up and made coffee and got to work. Nothing like manually whipping egg whites into peaks to wake you up (and make you feel like your arm is about to fall off).

Thank goodness I tackled the compote first. The success of that recipe motivated me to make pancakes from scratch. Next time I'll try and substitute lemon for orange, as suggested by the source.

The pancakes were smaller than I expected. Next time I'll pour 1/2 cup of the mix.

In case you were wondering, yes I bought an electric hand mixer after this experience. I earned it!

I then decided to do Dunlop's Smacked Cucumber in Garlicky Sauce. I of course did the sweet and sour variation. It was good but I'd probably play around with the ratios next time.

Lastly this was my pork belly (cured in maple syrup) hash. Good dish but it'll be better next time.

I'm not going to bother curing the pork belly next time. I'll just fry it on cast iron to get the crispy texture and definitely without oil because the pork releases enough of it.

Also I left my russet potatoes in the pot too long. I learned 10 minutes in boiling water is too long for small to medium sized potatoes. I should have poked one of them to check around the 5 minute mark. Another thing I'd do differently is cook it in less butter afterwards. Once I threw the onions in I saw why the recipe called for so much butter but I think I may be able to get away with half the amount.

I am feeling inspired to cook and it was kickstarted by my ebook acquisition of the Bubby's Brunch Cookbook.

Dinner at Babbo (on February)

Years ago two young ladies dutifully went to school and made a pact that one day they're not just going to pass this restaurant but actually eat there. We were lucky enough to get a reservation on our first try on the phone.

A nicely grilled octopus was my appetizer. Nothing special but it was certainly tasty.

Crispy fried pig's feet. Tastes just like Filipino Krispy Pata, crunchy skin outside and moist meat inside, but this one was at least twice the cost. To be fair it didn't come with any bones.

Black spaghetti with rock shrimp and jalapeno pesto. I believe the red bits are prosciutto. This dish made me appreciate what it means to have a home made pasta done right. I could have eaten this all night with just the pasta and sauce, it almost seemed like the pasta was infused with a lot of flavor.

Beef Cheek Ravioli with Crushed Squab Liver and Black Truffles. Interesting play of different textures, from the sauce, the pasta, and the insides of the ravioli. The Balsamic vinegar in the sauce stood out but I thought it was a nice complement to the liver inside.

I had wine pairings for the first four dishes. I ordered coffee to lessen the effects of the alcohol, and this sugar tray was presented for me to pick my sweetener.

My friend picked this and she enjoyed it.

I don't believe I finished a single one of the sorbet. They were good but I had way too much to drink and eat already.

I don't remember how much the entire bill came out to, but I have to say everything seemed (relatively) reasonably priced (check their online menu for your own judgment). When you order you can also tell them that you're sharing with your companion and they will serve the dish in individual plates. Anyhow they have an ample amount of well-executed dishes which you can't have anywhere else.

Babbo
110 Waverly Place
New York, NY‎

Dinner at Imperial Palace

Oyster with XO sauce.

My friend said the XO sauce tasted like light soy sauce and the oyster was lightly steamed. She liked it.

Fish Hong Kong Style. Light crispy batter on the outside and the white fish inside was very delicate and soft. Dipping it with hot sauce adds a nice bite, well if you're in the mood for it.

Beef chow fun dry. This dish was greasy but delicious, and I definitely liked it with hot sauce.

A huge plate of Pork Chop Peking Style. They always do this dish very well here.

I think it's safe to say this is my go to Cantonese restaurant. The total was close to $45 and this was way too much food for three women who didn't arrive at the restaurant starving. The three entrees could have easily fed 4 people.

Imperial Palace
13613 37th Ave
Flushing, NY

Another Dinner at Ippudo

Not my ramen so I don't remember the name. My friend liked it though and even though she usually doesn't eat pork she actually enjoyed it this time.

Also not my ramen. It's the one with soy sauce listed as one of the ingredient on the menu. My other friend liked it too.

My dish. I forgot the actual name but it had the word Modern in it. I think the red sauce on top was supposed to make it spicy but it wasn't. However this was still an incredible bowl of ramen. The Berkshire pork slices were melt-in-your-mouth kind of tender as usual and the other pork I added was also tasty.

I believe this was some kind of seaweed creme brulee. I liked how this wasn't too sweet and how the flavor complemented the grean tea ice cream on top.

Mascarpone with green tea ice cream. We shared both desserts and we all agreed we would probably come to Ippudo just for this.

Ippudo
65 4th Ave
New York, NY‎

Canton Gourmet

Pork Chop Peking Style. My favorite dish in Cantonese restaurants. Nicely crispy on the outside while soft enough on the inside not to need a steak knife. It's drizzled with sauce that's a touch sweet.

Canton Gourmet
3808 Prince St
Flushing, NY