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Asian Food
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Hog Wild Dino Sticks Party Set
Who says lunch-time has to be boring ?The easiest chopsticks you'll ever use and NOW in eight fun Dino shapes. So easy, even a paleontologist can use them ! Chopsticks come in set of eight. Perfect for birthdays or party favors !
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Giveaway: Asian Ingredients 101 App
Giveaway: Asian Ingredients 101 App - Burnt Lumpia: Filipino Food | Filipino Recipes | Culinary HijinksBurnt Lumpia: Filipino Food | Filipino Recipes | Culinary HijinksLumpia FillingAbout Burnt LumpiaFilipino Food Recipe ArchiveLinks 
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Legion of DoomBurnt Lumpia on FacebookRecent PostsTwo Words: Done DealBanana 2 ConferenceFourGambas for Game DayFilipino Food Bloggers Featured on "Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho"Giveaway: Asian Ingredients 101 AppCoconut Eggnog with Coconut MoonshineQueso de Bola FondueAdobong Sili (Chile Pepper Adobo)Sinigang na LechonCategoriesAdobo RecipesBeefBeer, Liquor, & WineBL OriginalsBL Restaurant ReviewsCookbooksDessertsFruits and VeggiesHow to Make LumpiaKalamansiLasang PinoyMy Cookbook!On The GrillOtherPancit (Filipino Noodles)PorkPoultrySeafoodThe BL FamThe Manila MachineTravelUbe RecipesVinegar (Suka) 
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Get My FeedWelcomeLegion of DoomBurnt Lumpia on FacebookRecent PostsTwo Words: Done DealBanana 2 ConferenceFourGambas for Game DayFilipino Food Bloggers Featured on "Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho"Giveaway: Asian Ingredients 101 AppCoconut Eggnog with Coconut MoonshineQueso de Bola FondueAdobong Sili (Chile Pepper Adobo)Sinigang na LechonCategoriesAdobo RecipesBeefBeer, Liquor, & WineBL OriginalsBL Restaurant ReviewsCookbooksDessertsFruits and VeggiesHow to Make LumpiaKalamansiLasang PinoyMy Cookbook!On The GrillOtherPancit (Filipino Noodles)PorkPoultrySeafoodThe BL FamThe Manila MachineTravelUbe RecipesVinegar (Suka) « Coconut Eggnog with Coconut Moonshine |Main| Filipino Food Bloggers Featured on "Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho" »January 10, 2011Giveaway: Asian Ingredients 101 AppI've never been grocery shopping with my grandmother, though I imagine such an experience would provide innumerable perks.
Aside from helping me pick out the best green papayas for her atchara recipe, or perhaps telling me straighaway which Filipino vinegar is best for any particular dish, my grandmother would be indispensible in proving my ethnicity to doubtful fishmongers at the Asian market.
Alas, my grandmother lives 4 hours away from me, so my excursions to the market (like most everyone I'm sure) are always grandma-less.
But thanks to Asian Ingredients 101, an iPhone app created by cookbook author, Pat Tanumihardja, you can now have a robot Asian grandma in your pocket!
Asian Ingredients 101 is a comprehensive guide to East Asian, Southeast Asian and South Asian ingredients at your fingertips. Whether you are shopping at an Asian market or traveling in Asia, this app will help you to identify close to 100 ingredients ranging from spices to herbs to sauces using color photographs as well as their common names in different languages. It also tells you where to find the ingredients at the market (i.e. frozen or dried goods section) and offers little tidbits on selection and preparation.
Pat's an old friend of mine, and is the author of The Asian Grandmother's Cookbook, so I can vouch for how cool this app is. And luckily for you, dear readers, Pat has provided me with three (3) promo codes that will enable three of my lucky readers to download her app for free.
For a chance to win a free download of Asian Ingredients 101, just leave a comment telling me what your favorite Asian ingredient is. I'll then randomly choose three winners who will each recieve a free download.
All comments for this post will be accepted as entry for the giveaway and this contest will end on Sunday January 16, 2011 at 11:59 PM Pacific time. I'll randomly select three winners and announce the winner later that week.
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1 Favorite Comments I think my favorite asian ingredient is Calamansi. The Filipino citrus. There is no clear substitute, "kinda tastes like. . ." doesn't cut it for me. I am not sure if any other Asian country uses it, now that I think about it. I can't imagine that it's too well known. Nothing like it!
Posted by:Linda M |January 10, 2011 at 04:59 PMI love all sorts of Asian ingredients from fish sauce to natto, but more than that I love learning about what I haven't tried yet.
Posted by:Hannah |January 10, 2011 at 05:05 PMCool idea for an app - coconut (more specifically coconut milk) is my jam, since it can go both savory (laing, adobo) or sweet (every pinoy dessert, basically).
In other news, glad to see you still posting! Hope the Machine's going well-
Posted by:Chris C |January 10, 2011 at 05:06 PMMine has to be ube.
Posted by:Chris L |January 10, 2011 at 05:08 PMI ? coconut milk! mmmmmmm (drool)
Posted by:Chelsie H |January 10, 2011 at 05:11 PMWonderful giveaway. My favorite would be wasabi.
Posted by:Nisrine | Dinners & Dreams |January 10, 2011 at 05:21 PMIt's so hard to choose just one! I've been all about fresh coconut lately but if I had to get down to the most basic, then I have to give it to RICE. Yes, many will argue that it's not solely Asian but after moving back to Manila, my rice experience has greatly expanded as I learn more about how this marvelous foodstuff is used for everything from condiment (buro) to main (paella valenciana) to dessert (biko!) and so much more in between. Then there are all the varieties...Is there an app for that?
Just one favourite? Hmm... macapuno is usually at the top of my list, but so is patis :)
Posted by:Rochelle |January 10, 2011 at 05:34 PMmy favorite asian ingredient is ginger!
Posted by:Carmel |January 10, 2011 at 05:37 PMmake mine fish sauce.
Posted by:Mark Argent |January 10, 2011 at 05:40 PMMine would have to be lemongrass - so very useful and aromatic.
Posted by:Ed |January 10, 2011 at 05:55 PMThe one ingredient, I think, that identifies Asian cooking and is pretty much a staple ingredient in almost all Asian recipes is soy sauce!!!
Posted by:Harvey Bringas |January 10, 2011 at 06:14 PMBagoong alamang (rocks in kare-kare).
Posted by:Row |January 10, 2011 at 06:15 PMSince someone else has already nominated rice, then I would have nominate soy sauce! Kikkoman original soy sauce and kecap manis are my most used soy sauces, though I also have tamari and dark soy sauce when I need an extra flavour boost.
Posted by:Sefie |January 10, 2011 at 06:16 PMFish Sauce. I love it in everything from hamburgers to pasta sauce.
Posted by:ladywild |January 10, 2011 at 06:24 PMjasmine rice. or spam :)
Posted by:kimberly |January 10, 2011 at 06:34 PMok, this is admitting the deep dark truth. . .I love MSG! (haven't had it in the spice shelf since I was a kid), wouldn't dream of buying it as an adult, but I loved that junk more than salt. otherwise, Bagoong baby!
Posted by:Ning Ning |January 10, 2011 at 06:42 PMMaggi seasoning is a favorite for me.
Posted by:Mysticcher |January 10, 2011 at 06:58 PMHave to go with Rice. You can have it at any meal; it can be savory or sweet; it kicks butt when partnered with everything from kare-kare to ice cream! Rice is the ultimate asian ingredient!
Posted by:Jessica |January 10, 2011 at 07:22 PMFish sauce! I'm a Fil-Am married to a Viet guy so you know we've always got a bottle in the house. Since I tend to make more Vietnamese than Filipino food these days, the beloved Rufina patis of my childhood has been replaced by Viet Huong nuoc mam.
Posted by:Michelle |January 10, 2011 at 07:47 PMcurrent fave would have to be sriracha! even adds a nice kick to adobo (sacrilege I know...)
Posted by:Marie |January 10, 2011 at 08:06 PMGINGER!
I love it in stir fry's, fried rice, arroz caldo and just about on anything. It adds such a mild kick like no other!
Posted by:Claudia MM |January 10, 2011 at 09:13 PMGarlic- although it's an international ingredient. Can't think of my favorite food without it-chicken adobo, fried rice, pancit canton! Buko and juicy, sweet mangos are my favs on sweet dishes !
Posted by:Christie |January 11, 2011 at 02:19 AMFree?!? Fuck that! I'm buying it right now! Awesome apps and awesome app authors deserve to be awarded.
I agree with Linda that calamansi is awesome. I just came across it for the first time (just as juice) and it blew my mind. But garlic is my staple cooking pretty much any cuisine, east or west.
P.S. I can't wait to hunt down your truck next time I'm in SoCal.
Posted by:Ryan |January 11, 2011 at 02:33 AMSinamak (spiced coconut vinegar) local to the province of Iloilo in the Philippines
Posted by:macky |January 11, 2011 at 06:43 AMSince I'm a condiment queen, it would probably come down to simple ol' soy sauce. My husband makes some mean Chinese food while I use it for everything Filipino. And, I'll admit, white rice isn't the same without it!
Posted by:Lorena |January 11, 2011 at 08:39 AMFish Sauce. UMAMI in a bottle!!
Posted by:deevee |January 11, 2011 at 12:09 PMSoy sauce! Soy sauce enhances the flavor on almost anything.
Posted by:jae_em |January 11, 2011 at 03:28 PMEggplant!
Posted by:zeeamie |January 11, 2011 at 10:54 PMoo tough choice. there's so many. i'll say fish sauce!
Posted by:Cindy Waffles |January 12, 2011 at 05:34 AMCalamansi, definitely. But around here, you have to grow your own if you want fresh calamansi! My potted tree, Chloe, is hanging in there. How is Kal? ; )
Posted by:manju |January 12, 2011 at 06:27 AMasian ingredient? of course it would be soy sauce :D
Posted by:Marj |January 12, 2011 at 11:09 AMGarlic and patis
Posted by:Jess @ B-more Balanced |January 12, 2011 at 12:43 PMThat is so cool. My favorite has to be patis. I use it in almost everything.
Posted by:Joy |January 13, 2011 at 07:34 AMIt's gotta be Patis! Fish Sauce adds to dishes like no other ingredient!
Posted by:Alan T |January 13, 2011 at 12:45 PMIt's taba ng talangka!
Posted by:Kaffirgirl |January 13, 2011 at 11:32 PMI just came across your blog after visiting the Philippines! I am so excited to follow your food truck and try your food!
Ginger happens to be my favorite ingredient; the sweet, bitter distinct taste adds real excitement to a dish! Fresh is the only way to go when a recipe calls for ginger :)
Posted by:Ashley-FunAsWeGo |January 13, 2011 at 11:46 PMSaging na Saba (Philippine Plantains) would have to be mine...
Posted by:The Beancounter |January 14, 2011 at 05:07 AMpatis!! lends everything that filipino je ne sais quoi...
Posted by:jo |January 14, 2011 at 01:09 PMLow-sodium soy sauce for me!
Posted by:Dee |January 14, 2011 at 06:45 PMWow! Watched you on a TV program here in the Philippines. They featured your blog. :)
Posted by:eight |January 15, 2011 at 05:52 AMAdobo! :)
Posted by:eight |January 15, 2011 at 07:06 AMpatis! :) heeheehee.
Posted by:eight |January 15, 2011 at 07:08 AMFavorite asian ingredient: soy sauce
Posted by:Elizabeth |January 15, 2011 at 09:05 AMFish Sauce makes everything better, but I have to say my FAVE, the one I grab whenever I can find it, is Galangal. MMMMM
Posted by:Jerry Shaheen |January 15, 2011 at 10:19 AMlime leaves! I just wish they were easier to find!
Posted by:Veronica V-V |January 15, 2011 at 12:28 PMMy favorite is the little dried shrimp. I love to eat them as is, as well as in my mom's yummy papaya salad! YUMMY!
Posted by:Joan |January 15, 2011 at 01:00 PMThis app looks like a fantastic idea as I get really confused when shopping for Asian ingredients. I have lots and lots of favourites. My latest is a Phillipino coconut wine vinegar. It is very tasty and super hot. The lady in the shop recommended it to me and explained how it is collected and prepared.
Posted by:Trix |January 15, 2011 at 05:21 PMOne of my favorite Asian ingredients is Maggi sauce! As a kid, I loved using it as a dip for fried chicken and pork chops and because of that, it holds a special place in my heart.
Posted by:Sheila |January 15, 2011 at 11:29 PMgosh....i can't decide between coconut vinegar which is a favorite dipping sauce since childhood and lemongrass with its "clean" and refreshing flavor that always elevate my mood whenever i have it. whether its in my soup, marinade or as a refreshment...
Posted by:lynette |January 16, 2011 at 01:03 AMmine is fish sauce
Posted by:Roga |January 16, 2011 at 04:54 AMEvery family should have at least one Asian robot grandma.
Posted by:Little Spoon |January 16, 2011 at 09:43 AM The comments to this entry are closed.Search WWW
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Monday, March 28, 2011
Reader Contribution: A Vietnamese Waif’s First Mardi Gras
Reader Contribution: A Vietnamese Waif’s First Mardi Gras - Viet World Kitchenwindow.fbAsyncInit = function() { FB.init( { apiKey: 'a279adbe87e2b3c505e777af99a5260d' } ); YAHOO.util.Event.onDOMReady( function() { FB.XFBML.parse(); } );};( function() { var e = document.createElement( 'script' ); e.async = true; e.src = document.location.protocol + '//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js'; document.getElementById( 'fb-root' ).appendChild( e );} )();Viet World KitchenHomeArchivesRecipe IndexVWK StoreClasses + EventsFavorite SitesAbout MePermission and CreditWelcome to Viet World Kitchen where I explore the culinary traditions of Vietnam and the rest of Asia. Join me to learn, create, and contribute!\ABS\Auto Blog Samurai\data\Best Asian Food Blogs\Viet World Kitchen\ "TFI Mardi Gras 9")
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March 03, 2011Reader Contribution: A Vietnamese Waif’s First Mardi Gras
I cannot remember when Simon Bao and I began our email exchange over Vietnamese food and culture. It has been years, perhaps nearly as long as this site has been around. A true hybridzed Vietnamese-American born to a Viet mom and American father, Simon never fails to tickled me with his wit -- which balances traditional Asia and modern America. He is a gifted story teller, a rarity these days. You may have read and responded to his comments in VWK posts.
A few weeks ago, we started emailing about Mardi Gras. Simon displayed a very personal connection to Fat Tuesday whereas my view of the event was tainted by a Catholic upbringing that entailed attending Ash Wednesday mass, getting ash on my forehead, and starting Lent. My parents were not Mardi Gras, let-loose kind of people. Plus, we lived in Southern California and the bayou was as far from us as the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.
Simon was persistent and kept asking about what I was going to do about Mardi Gras. Finally, I said to him, "Tell me what you do." He responded with this wonderful personal essay. In a David Sedaris-esque hilarity, Simon bridges cultural gaps, reminding us that we don't always know what we think we know about ourselves and others.
Sit back, take a read, and share your Mardi Gras experiences. Simon's prose will get you in the mood!
A Vietnamese Waif’s First Mardi GrasBy Simon BaoMardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, arrives on March 8 this year. Every year as the holiday approaches, memory takes me back to my first Mardi Gras party, to my introduction to Creole and Cajun foods and Zydeco, and to some profound early misunderstandings about Americans and their foods. (Note: the memories come first here, and the recipes come near the end.)
That first Mardi Gras party was in the early 1990s on a Saturday, back when I was 18 years old and had been living in the US for 5 years already; for most of that time I had lived exclusively with Americans. By 18, however, I had found my way to a Viet community in Philadelphia, and was living there somewhat on my own (with only limited success).
On that Saturday an older godbrother showed up at the house where I was staying, and told me to shower and find some clean clothes, because he was not going to let me spend the day sitting on the floor eating Cheez Doodles, drinking root beer, and watching 24 non-stop hours of Hong Kong Kung Fu videos. Instead, he was taking me to meet some Americans. He and I were going to spend the day helping them prepare for a party that night, a party we would also both attend.
On the drive over there, he spoke at length about the party being a celebration of Mardi Gras, which had something to do with Ash Wednesday and Catholic customs, and he was saying something about New Orleans, something about a kind of people who live there, something about music… and insert some Charlie Brown wah wah wah sounds effects here, because I wasn’t interested in meeting any new Americans, and wasn’t paying attention.
We arrived at a big old house somewhere in the city, in a neighborhood far too nice for me to have ever been there before, and after some very warm introductions I was set down in the kitchen, offered some coffee and beignets, and invited to snap the heads off some shrimp and peel them. And that’s when I noticed some things that weren’t quite what I expected.
The kitchen was noisy and crowded with a lot of people, just like a Vietnamese kitchen when we prepare for a party, but I’d not seen that level of noise and activity in any American kitchens before. Everyone was drinking coffee made from Café du Monde. Those distinctive yellow cans were ever present in all Viet kitchens but I’d never seen them in any American home, and I thought Americans do not bi?t u?ng, do not know how to drink Café du Monde – meaning, Americans do not like it, or maybe are not familiar with it.
You Like Rice, You'll Like This
More surprising were the shrimp I was decapitating. In those many (5) long years I had been in America, years which had seemed to go on forever, I’d never seen or been served a shrimp in any American household. Not in the house I’d lived in, nor in any American home I’d ever visited. There were no shrimp in the school cafeteria either. There had not been much television-watching and I don’t think I’d even seen an ad for Red Lobster. I’d just assumed most Americans do not bi?t an shrimp, do not know how to eat shrimp.
Sitting next to me and my pile of shrimp was a garrulous and affectionate American woman named Grace, who kept calling me “Darlin’,” and told me I looked like I was 12. Grace was busy cutting up and breaking down duck carcasses. Just like the shrimp, I’d never eaten duck in America, nor seen it eaten by Americans, and had simply assumed that Americans do not know how to eat duck.
After some questioning, I discovered that the duck was going into a dish that was to be served with rice, and that was worthy of a double-take. I thought only Vietnamese would serve rice to guests at a party. I taxed my memory and recalled no parties with Americans when there was ever any rice. In the US, I’d been given instant “minute” rice, served to me at dinner with an unhelpful bit of margarine on top of it, and I’d been served Rice-a-Roni with the false promise “you like rice, you’ll like this.” In the school cafeteria there was some rice mixed into what they called Porcupine Meatballs which, for some time, I believed were made out of the porcupines I saw in my illustrated dictionary. In my vast experience, however, rice at a party for Americans was unheard of.
While I worked on my shrimp and Grace cut up the ducks, an older American fellow named Bob was cutting up some fish, and telling me I looked like I was 12. I asked what kind of fish it was, and he told me catfish, which meant nothing to me. Someone got an encyclopedia with a photograph of a catfish in it, and I was beginning to ask myself, Who are these people? I knew that fish in Vietnam, that’s a Vietnamese fish, that catfish. I had assumed all along it just didn’t live in America and Americans did not know how to eat it. That’s also when I realized that, except for tuna salad, I had never seen Americans serve fish at any kind of party. And Bob told me that, when it was cooked, I could eat this kind of fish with the rice. He said the only proper way to eat it was with rice. That did not sound at all American to me. A party at which Americans feast on shrimp, duck, and catfish? And rice?
During all this prep work, these boisterous and friendly Americans told me things that didn’t really make much sense. This Mardi Gras holiday they were making a party for, it wasn’t part of their own customs or traditions; they were only celebrating it because it was a great reason to have a party. That sounded a little sketchy to me.
And the foods they were preparing for this party were not their own, but were foods of Creole people and Cajun people, both of whom I was told are a kind of American people. (In answer to my skepticism and repeated questions, inspired largely by the shrimp, duck, catfish, and rice, I was repeatedly told no, Creoles and Cajuns are not some kind of Asian.) No one preparing foods for the party was Creole or Cajun, and there weren’t going to be any Creole or Cajun people attending either. Creole and Cajun people all lived somewhere very far away, or so I was told. Think about that for a minute, and it will start to sound pretty sketchy to you too.
I had moved on to splitting and deveining my pile of shrimp when other improbable foods arrived. Based on my years among Americans, I had come to believe that Americans do not know how to eat crab, as I’d never seen it happen. Americans also do not know how to eat oysters, I was very sure of that. Yet oysters and crabmeat were both laid before us on that kitchen table, and were on the menu for the party.
One woman at the table, Bethany, was peeling and shredding some trái su, or in English, mirlitons or chayotes. Even other Vietnamese had told me quite definitively that Americans do not know how to eat trái su, and did not know what they are. Bethany assured me that was absolutely not the case, and she began listing all the ways that Americans know how to eat them. And then she told me I looked like I was 12. Someone came into the kitchen with baguettes for me to slice and until then I didn’t know any Americans ate baguettes.
I spent the rest of the day picking cartilage out of the crabmeat, climbing a ladder and hanging purple, green, and yellow streamers from ceilings, blowing up purple, green, and yellow balloons, carrying ice and beer, setting up tables, and wondering to myself: crabs, oysters, baguettes, mirlitons… Who are these people?
Bountiful Buffet, Bourbon & Beads
Once the party started, I was not overcome with any shyness, as may have been reported – I stayed by the buffet tables simply because that’s where all the food was. And I feasted, on everything. Shrimp Remoulade and Crabmeat Ravigote. Natchitoches meat pies. Mirliton salad. Oysters Rockefeller.
And there were dishes with crawfish; while I didn’t recognize crawfish, I felt sure they might be at least half-Vietnamese. And the people I met, especially those making frequent trips to the food tables, were all very friendly even if they did all tell me I looked like I was 12.
I tried Bob’s fish with the rice (a Catfish Courtbouillon) and loved it. I tried Grace’s duck with the rice (Duck & Andouille Etouffee) and loved it. Some of my shrimp had gone into a Jambalaya along with more rice and chicken, tasso ham, and pork sausages. It looked familiar, and vaguely resembled a Vietnamese fried rice dish. As I gazed down, contemplating my bowl of Jambalaya, I realized these Creole or Cajun people had done something which Vietnamese also do, but which I’d never seen other Americans do. They’d combined different animals in a single dish, just as Vietnamese do. A bird, a pig, some shrimp, all in one dish with some rice.
I headed into one of the larger rooms with my bowl of Jamabalaya, Nerdlinger-style, intending to find my godbrother and ask him why Vietnamese and Mardi Gras people combine foods that way but other Americans do not. I stopped short when I saw that he was wearing a mask with feathers, a funny hat, strings of beads, and was dancing in a way I’d never seen him or any other human dance. Dancing to music that was unlike anything I’d ever heard (Zydeco). He noticed me, pointed at me, loudly yelled “Woo who, he’s got no beads,” and at once I was surrounded by Mardi Gras revelers putting strings of beads around my neck and trying to get me to dance.
I swiftly retreated to the relative safety of the buffet tables, and one of the party hosts offered me a Bourbon Milk Punch, which she thought I might like. I guessed it might be a drink suitable for a young person like me, as it had milk in it and tasted a bit like ice cream. I moved on to sampling some King Cake, and a slice of Doberge Cake, some Bread Pudding, washing it all down with one Bourbon Milk Punch and then another, and then another. I felt a growing conviction that Bourbon Milk Punch was very suitable indeed for a person like me, and soon I was wearing a funny hat, strings of beads, and doing some hot Zydeco dancing with people who kept telling me I looked like I was 12.
I have not missed one of these Mardi Gras parties since that first one, and now am cook and co-host for them. Like my godbrother before me, I enjoy inviting unsuspecting Vietnamese and Americans who know nothing of Mardi Gras, so I can watch them as they stand back and stare, and wonder “Who are these people?” Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler, everybody!
Text and external links provided by Simon Bao. Photos are public domain.
One of these doesn't belong...? (Weekend contest!)
It’s been another rather hectic week around here. So I’d like to loosen up a bit by closing the week out with a fun giveaway, just for the heck of it. I’m giving away a $25 gift certificate from our friends over at J-list/JBox, where you can find all kinds of cool, cute, and wacky stuff from Japan. Everyone is eligible to win this, wherever you may live, though you may want to check on their site that they’ll ship to your country if you’re not sure.
To enter, take a look at the photos below and solve the puzzle…
Mmm, a nice plate of sandwich buns. But wait, one looks a bit funny…?
A plushie hamburger? What?
Underneath the top part of the “bun”.
Guess what this plushie hamburger is for and write in your answer in the comments. One of the correct answerers will be drawn at random to win the gift certificate.
This contest is open until 23:59:59 (just before midnight) of Monday, February 21st. Good luck! ^_^
Update: The contest is now closed. The winner is Anali - congratulations Anali!. And by the way, yes it is a screen cleaner. The bottom side of the top bun has a chamois-like cloth for major cleaning, and the burger, lettuce, etc. are made of dusting material. I don’t know if J-List carries this by the way - I got this one in Japan - but I’m sure they sell similar stuff! Kudos to all you people who, um, guessed. ^_^;
Homemade Kumquat Marmalade with Brie Cheese and Blue Chair Jam Cookbook Giveaway
I don’t like brie cheese. It’s boring.
There. I said it, I meant it, and I’m ok with you despising me for it. But before you send off that nasty email, I must clarify, I’m not talking about the real deal, raw milk, wheels of wonder that are true Brie cheeses. Cheeses from milk so pure you can taste what moseying bovines feasted upon.
If only most “Brie” cheeses were so divine… But they’re not. Most are a bunch of bloomy rinded discs of boring. However there is salvation. Salvation in a little orange jar and a cast iron pan.
Normally I’m more of a cave aged Cheddar and a pungent Blue Cheese boy, but they will get passed up in a second if I’m served a plate of fried bread with brie and a sexy little marmalade. A Seville Orange marmalade is always nice, but this citrus season we’ve been making another sweet little number which has us begging for more… Kumquat Marmalade.
A tinge of bitter is such a nice counter balance to the sweetness of the sugar and citrus, but Seville Orange marmalades are almost a touch heavy on the bitter for my taste. It is a bitter orange after all. However, kumquats are perfect. Plus the skins are delicately thin, perfect for the marmalade after they’ve been soaked overnight to soften them up.
We’ve become such fans that the fruit from our kumquat tree has little hope but to be soaked, sliced, sugared and simmered, then bottled in our cute little Weck jars. No Kerr for these little ones. They are getting the star treatment.
First, it is gorgeously shot and laid out. Sara Remington did such a beautiful job with the photography and the book designers did justice to her work. The author, Rachel Saunders founder of the Bay Area jam company Blue Chair Fruit, has a obvious consuming enthusiasm for intense, luscious preserves. And a brilliant teaching mind.
The instruction is fascinating and thorough. The recipes are exciting, seasonal and useful throughout the year.
She lays the foundation for the user to understand the principles then have the freedom to impart their own vision into their preserves. And her recipes are inspiring and drool worthy. The book is laid out based on the seasons, perfect for the home gardeners like us.
For this Kumquat Marmalade recipe, we crafted the marmalade in a simple fashion, keeping the ingredients to just the kumquats, sugar and water. Then we used The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook as our guide in the cooking and testing. We loved how the marmalade came out. Brie became sexy once again.
-Todd
The kind publishers at Andrews McMeel are giving us one copy to giveaway.
Leave your comment below for one entryFor an extra entry, Twitter or share the giveaway on Facebook. Comment again with the link to your Twitter or Facebook for the extra entry.If you’re sharing it on Facebook, please remember to be a fan of White On Rice Couple Giveaway ends Sunday March 20, midnight PST. The winner will be announced back on this post on Monday March 21.
cooking with the kumquat seeds for the natural pectin
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fry the bread, layer brie cheese & lather on the marmalade
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