I’m doing some “spring cleaning” around here and deleting doubled drafts and whatnot. I found this which I made last February. Heavens, it’s May already. Time flies and next thing I’m 30. The end. It all goes down to that. Eek.

As anyone who eats with me on a regular basis can tell you — I am not a big fan of sandwiches. I don’t crave for it, I don’t fantasize about making them, and I just don’t care for them much unless I make them at home with only a few ingredients that I really like. I could not stand piling up all sorts of stuff in the sandwich — I want to taste the cheese, the meat, the bread, and the leaves. I liken it to eating everything in the fridge in one bite. It’s not palatable at all. I know I have weird tastes sometimes.

This is my kind of sandwich, which I assume would be considered boring and conservative in a sandwich lover’s world:

A slice of muenster cheese slightly melted over freshly toasted whole wheat bread.

Topped with fresh spinach leaves.

Then a slice of folded roast beef with some freshly crushed pepper.

It’s perfect for me.

How do you make your sandwiches?

I was thinking while shopping for dinner on Sunday, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye that was not there the last time I was there: Panko Bread Crumbs. I was squealing with my inside voice. Making Chicken Katsu would be fun! But there inlies my issues. The meat for the week I picked up was beef. Thick cut steaks, to be more specific. When I arrived home with my panko booty, I checked online for any panko beef recipes.

They did not exist. Oh, sure, people made SOMETHING with it, but as of the day I have been writing this article, I have never seen a public recipe involving it. I devised one of my own.

Continue Reading

(Pictures taken with a LG9400 camera-phone)

Last week, my parents had a guest from Chicago who brought with him a care package of Portillo’s food. This has turned into a tradition for the past few years for us in Phoenix. I recently introduced Joy to the pleasure of this food as well and she is hooked now. I have always wanted to return to Chicago to do the simple things and in this post, I hope to hit on the big ones. Being born and raised in Chicago, there are a few things I need to require a vistor to do:

1) Visit a Cubs game (even if you are not a fan)

2) Visit downtown for the museums and Sears Tower

3) Eat a Deep Dish pizza (Either Lou Malnati’s or Pizzeria Uno’s, NOT the chain places outside of Chicago.)

4) Eat an Italian Beef. This one is a little tricky to some because it is essentially served like a French Dip sandwich but do not get it confused. The difference being an Italian beef is rubbed with spices, peppers, and you heat the beef in the au jus that you serve with it.

And last but not least, 5) Eat a Vienna Beef hot dog.

Oh, sure, the last one is probably common in your area by now, but have you noticed that is expensive? You are paying for the shipping from Chicago, really. Another thing to note. Do not read the nutritional label. You are getting this hot dog on a need-to-have basis. Besides, you are not in a diet if you do not allow yourself to cheat. You’re in the Second City, enjoy the flavor!

I have recently learned there are a few rules about eating a Chicago style hot dog:

1. -When making the dog in “The Works” fashion, the order and selection of your toppings is extremely important.
   Taken from Chicago HotDog.com:
   -Yellow Mustard
   -Bright Green Relish
   -Fresh Chopped Onions
   -Two Tomato Wedges
   -A Pickle Spear or Slice
   -Two Sport Peppers
   -A Dash of Celery Salt
2. Your bun will have poppy seeds and is steamed. Not fried, grilled, or cold. Steamed. So it is soft. If you can get it, I recommend S. Rosen’s for your hot dog holder. A quick Google search will have several outfits selling the packages online.
3. Any stand will do. Do not be afraid if the place you pick is a little ratty. It is supposed to be that way. I would at least recommend getting your dog at a restaurant and not a street vendor so you can pick up some fries and a drink as a combo.
4. While the above website says microwaving your hot dog is okay, I will add this to the rules of NOT doing. The optimal way would be a steam bath (Not boiling water!), followed by a good grilling. Leave the microwave for those Oscar Myer hot dogs.
5. This one is i m p o r t a n t! Did I stress that enough? good.
   In this image, I have performed a cardinal sin of the Chicago dog:Yes. There is not supposed to be ketchup (catsup, tomato paste, etc.) on your Chicago dog.

If you follow these simple rules, you will have enjoyed the finest hot dog in the US. The Chicago dog is often imitated but never replicated. I hope that this has enticed you to travel abroad and experience the joy that is the Vienna Beef Hot Dog.

Do you plan your menu for the week? Do you have your grocery list down to the last ingredient? We rarely do. We couldn’t even stick to it because our taste and craving for food change so much. Our grocery shopping and cooking philosophy is: buy what looks good and fresh, is in season (and, therefore, has a good price), and we’ll think of something to make with them. This works well especially for its surprise factor, and creative and culinary freedom. We often decide what to cook once we’re right in front of the stove. Sometimes we see a sign on the street, a TV commercial, or a picture on a magazine, that would inspire the next meal. Our dishes really almost always starts from there.

That’s how it was for this meaty plate. The March 2008 Gourmet issue arrived the week we got some nice thin steaks. I saw the recipe for blade stakes with mushroom-madeira sauce and was lured by its simplicity: short cooking time and few ingredients. Sounds perfect for a weeknight!

I made this one night after we came home from our 90-minute Bikram yoga class. If you’ve ever been in one, I think you’ll understand what I mean when I say that there would be times when you’d want to eat — no, scarf down — a big plate of food immediately afterwards.

This was our delicious ‘reward’ after a long arduous workout:

Yummy, yummy, yummy. We almost licked the plate clean. What’s more, it looked and tasted like it took a lot more time and effort than it really did. You can make it when you have guests over and not break a sweat. Love it!

The thin steak slices cut down the cooking time even more (such a bonus if you’re starving). We had leftover madeira, thanks to the herb crusted fillet of beef that we cooked for Christmas. I used fresh crimini mushrooms and white onion (instead of shallot). If you can believe it, these are the only main ingredients that you really will ever need. The madeira we have is decently priced (less than $10) and it works beautifully. You don’t have to get the priciest thing on the shelf, unless you have too much extra dough or feel like feeding the queen.

** Madeira substitutes: According to The Cook’s Thesaurus [bookmark that site, it's good for you], you can use port (especially a dry port), Marsala, dry vermouth or sherry (especially a dry sherry), or stock (Either beef or chicken stock works well in meat-based sauces).

If you want some good-tasting steaks with sauce in less than 30 minutes, try making this. [Sorry, there's no step-by-stop photo because we were in a mad rush to cook and eat.] Here’s the recipe:

Thin Steaks in Mushroom-Madeira Sauce
[adapted from the Gourmet March 2008 recipe, page 84.]

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pound beef eye of round steak , patted dry & cut into 1/4-inch to 1/3-inch thick slices
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/4 cup chopped white onion
• 7 crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup Madeira wine** (we used rainwater Madeira, medium dry)
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Procedure

1. Sprinkle meat slices salt and pepper. Toss together.

2. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoon oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Place meat in the skillet and cook 1 to 2 minutes on each side, depending on thickness. Transfer to a plate and keep warm, covered.

3. Add the remaining oil into the skillet, and onions. Sauté for 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and sauté until golden, 3 to 4 minutes.

5. Add the wine, 1/4-teaspoon salt, and 1/8-teaspoon pepper and briskly simmer for 2 minutes. Mix in water and any meat juices from plate. Boil for 2 minutes.

6. Prepare cornstarch mixture, add to the skillet with mushrooms and simmer until thickened, about 1 minute. Pour sauce over the steaks before serving.

Quiche used to be one of those foods that I had no opinion of — I neither like nor hate it. Just so-so. I’ve never had one that sent sparks flying until I took a bite of my own the other day. I know it’s extremely biased to say that, but considering how hypercritical I am of my cooking and calling anything sub-par as ‘failures’, please bear with me on this.

I have never made quiche and haven’t had the inkling to make one. This changed decades later when I saw the crustless quiche in the March 2008 issue of Gourmet (page 84). I instantly envisioned my own tasty fluffy egg-y goodness in ramekins:

A couple of minutes out of the oven, with the poofy top now sunk in.

I was inspired to make them in serving size containers, which should be just the right amount for me and Dan. I coated the ramekins with corn flake crumbs, lined the bottom with leftover corned beef (from Monday’s dinner) that was sauteed with white onion and celery. Then came the topping of shredded Colby Jack cheese. Finally, the egg-milk-cream mixture sealed it to make quiche. The result was beyond divine:

Love at first bite.

The sweet scent of sauteed onion, celery, and corned beef lingered in the kitchen while these were baking, so I was expecting a good treat after 25 minutes. Digging into the just-out-of-the-oven steaming quiche released a comforting aroma that surpassed all my expectations. The first bite was indescribable. Wow — did I really make this?! It was light and soft, the eggs were perfectly, perfectly cooked. The ‘filling’ was oh so happy to be melded in the cheese and egg and milk. Just…wonderful. I think Dan and I have now been “converted” from being unimpressed with quiche to loving quiche.

I learned a lesson the day I made my first quiche: Don’t walk away from a dish until you’ve tried making it at home. The freshness of the ingredients and the dish itself, and the joy of cooking, make a huge difference. Yes, there might be few mistakes every now and then, but that’s what makes it a great adventure!

If you love quiche, try this and let me know what your quiche-connoisseur taste buds think. If you never liked quiche, are still on the fence, and/or would like to try it, I honestly think this might make you change your mind. And it’s so simple to make, too!

Here’s the visual step-by-step guide:

On to the recipe:

POST ST. PATTY’S CRUSTLESS QUICHE

Yields 3 small ramekin servings

Ingredients – can be easily doubled

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus additional (softened) butter for coating the sides of the ramekin
• corn flake crumbs for coating the sides of the ramekin
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup sliced celery
• 1/2 cup cooked corned beef, diced
• 9 tablespoons Colby jack cheese, shredded
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Preparation

1. Pre-heat oven to 425°F.
2. With a cooking brush, thinly coat the sides of the ramekins with softened butter. Add about a tablespoon of cornflake crumbs then rotate the ramekin to spread the crumbs and let them adhere to the butter on the sides. Tap awaw and remove excess crumbs..
3. Sauté onions and celery in a tablespoon of butter in a frying pan over medium heat, about 2 minutes. Add corned beef, and sauté for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat then divide and spread on the bottom of each ramekin.
4. Top with 3 tablespoons of cheese for each ramekin. Spread evenly.
5. Whisk together eggs, cream, milk, and 1/2-teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Pour into each ramekin.
6. Place ramekins on a baking sheet and bake in the oven until top is golden and custard is set in center, about 25 minutes.
7. Slightly cool before serving.

Notes

• This is a fantastic “basic” recipe that you can alter with your own ingredients for the filling – fish, poultry, beef, vegetables, including your leftovers!
• You can easily double the recipe to fill a 10-inch quiche dish or 10-inch glass pie plate. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Things are busy here as it’s tax season, and with mommy and daddy filing their taxes for personal and their respective businesses, posting is a wee bit slower than usual. They’ve also been going out to see friends, which is always a good thing. The cocoa brownies weren’t posted as anticipated– our sincere apologies for those who are waiting.

Last week’s fares here at Gourmeted are:

• Lengua Estofada (Braised Beef Tongue) - A Filipino delicacy of beef tongue cooked in tomato based sauce. A toast to offal lovers.
• Pancake Breakfast with the Help of The Scale – Teddy helps daddy test out the new kitchen scale to make delicious pancakes. It’s a great new addition to our kitchen!
• How We Take Food Photos Part I: Tools and Equipment – The first of many in the series on food photography. Come and join us in our quest to take better photos of food!
• Dorie’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookies - Awesome chocolate chip cookies from a recipe that our friend, Patricia, posted about. Yumm!

Things we loved from neighboring food sites:

• Ben’s French Bread – Beautiful homemade bread that we wish we can make someday.
• Michelle’s Pretty Good for Now Buttermilk Biscuits – She’s still on the quest to find The One biscuit recipe, but this looks great to us! If you have a phenomenal biscuit recipe, come on over there and let her know…help a fellow foodie out.
• Elle’s Oven Baked Hooters Style Buffalo Wings – Need I say more? Can’t wait to try this with our Spicy Garlic Sauce

What’s up this week? Take a peek:

• Review of Sauce restaurant
• Part II of How We Take Food Photos: The Grey Card
• Ultimate Cinnamon Rolls

That’s it for now. Have a great week everyone. And happy eating!

I’ve loved Lengua Estofada since I was a child. My grandmother and mother make really good ones. In fact, I called my mom last week to ask her how she makes them. I just smiled and nodded while listening, asking myself — What have I gotten into?

Let me explain. When I bought half a tongue, if I hadn’t known how good Lengua Estofada was, I would’ve backed out. I’ve neither cooked it before nor watched how it’s prepared, and coming face to face with this offal made my stomach turn.

It looks harmless and yummy!

I’ve witnessed pig, chicken, and cows killed for food. I eat fish eyes, fish eggs in the fish, and balut (it was one of the food challenges on Fear Factor). I’ve seen my fair share of ‘gross’, for lack of a better word, that’s why I didn’t foresee a squeamish self at the sight of beef tongue…but there you go. Cleaning and cooking it was another story. I won’t get there for the sake of some of you. I did not take step-by-step photos either, for the same reason.

This isn’t for the faint of heart, dear readers, but if you’re feeling adventurous you’ll be rewarded with something so delicious! I sure hope I didn’t deter you from making this beloved Filipino delicacy:

The ingredients really came together. The tomato-based sauce added a boost of flavor to the meats. I cooked some beef meat with it, as you can see above, so that Dan will have something in case he didn’t like the tongue. He’s never had it before and I wasn’t about to force him to do so. [He did try a couple of slices and I'm so proud of him!] Traditionally, this dish has chunks of tomatoes and carrots, but for my version, I fried potato slices and took the carrots out altogether. Dan said the fried potato was perfect in this dish and was a nice contrast of texture with the tender meats.

Here’s the recipe: Continue Reading

We hope you’re all having a good Sunday. It’s bright, and warm and sunny here at our end.

If you’ve missed something, here’s a recap of what we had this week:

• Bittersweet Chocolate Pudding Pie – Lick-the-dish-clean good decadent chocolate pie.
• Cinnamon Rolls I – No-Rise Dough) - Joy’s first attempt at making homemade cinnamon rolls with cream cheese glaze
• Cinnamon Rolls II — Success! – The best payoff for not giving up…amazing rolls.
• Comfort Beef Stew – Winter’s last sip.
• Food Gossip Meme: He Says, She Says
• Linguine with Beef and Mushroom Sauce – The pasta that earned a nice compliment from Dan.
• Free Italian cookbook - Free cookbook for download until March 31st.

Also, I mentioned last week that we’ll be featuring recipes that we like, admire, and want to bookmark for future reference. It’s easier than trying to remember where to get them when we need the recipe. Go have a look at these delicious creations:

• Katy’s Fig and Goat Cheese Canapes – Easy to make snack that’s promisingly decadent.
• Pam’s Mom’s Clam Chowder – Could probably be the recipe that would finally get us to cook homemade clam chowder.
• Cheese Puff’s Water Fried Buns — Tender buns that look absolutely amazing and delicious
• Patricia’s Dorie’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookies — Just look at the those cookies!
• Dhanggit’s French Bread — Beautiful homemade bread.

A peek at this week’s ‘menu’ at Gourmeted:

• Cocoa Brownies

• Beef Stir-Fry
  

• Lengua Estofada (Braised Beef Tongue)

• We’re kicking off the series on How We Take Food Photos - from discussing the basic equipment, setting up your camera for taking step-by-step photos, to dealing with kitchen and dining table lighting, and more! A few people have asked about how we do things here, so we’re going to do a continuous series on food photography, and hopefully we can all learn from each other.

The trend here in Casa de Gourmeted as of late is that the no-thought-to-it experimental recipes get the higher thumbs up from the other half. Could it be because the flavors are kept simple and there is no chance to overdo it?Hmmm.

I quickly put this together for lunch last week and had one serving left after I finished my big plate of it. Dan brought it to work the next day. That afternoon I got this message — “Your pasta was AWESOME.” You’re welcome, hon.

One of the benefits of keeping a food/cooking blog is that you get in the habit of keeping notes of what you make in the kitchen . If I hadn’t typed down the recipe last week, I probably wouldn’t be able to replicate this. The photos help me remember the procedure, too:

And here’s the recipe. Enjoy! Continue Reading

A last hurrah for stew as it begins to hit the 80′s here in the Valley. In fact, I’m getting a bit too warm just looking at these photos.

It was perfect on a cold night. So if you’re looking for something hearty and warm to eat, have a bowl of this!

Here’s the recipe: Continue Reading