The Other Side of the Beloved Burger

After all of the Rah-Rahs for Burgers on this blog, I feel like it's only fair to include a link to this article, decidedly not Fit For Human Consumption.

Taking Pastry Seriously

You could call me a Japanese Fanboy. My interest in Japanese history and culture started my senior year of high school, followed by a degree in Asian History and my current 9 year stint as a Sushi Chef. I'm just letting my bias be known before I gush here about the recently opened Mahoroba Bakery in Sacramento.

An aspect of Japanese culture I really admire is their attention to detail and drive for perfection. The Tea Ceremony is one example of this. About a thousand years ago they developed the absolute best way to make tea. And then they stuck with it. Kikkoman Soy Sauce, one the bigger soy sauce makers in the world, has been around since the mid 1600s. That's a serious company history. In the sushi bar, many people are surprised to learn that in Japan, Sushi and Tempura are (beyond the tourist areas) not available at the same restaurant. It would be un-Japanese to specialize in two things, therefore specializing in neither. It is this cultural trait that puts them on top of the electronics and car industries. They take it seriously, whatever "it" is.

In this case, it's pastry. Pastry and bread in Japan is, like their beer, a relatively (in the last hundred years) new phenomenon. Their word for bread "Pan", is the same as the Spanish word, not out of some cosmic coincidence but because bread was brought to Japan by Portuguese and Spanish trading vessels in the late 1600s. They took it and ran with it, apparently all the way to Freeport Blvd in Sacramento, California.

This is usually the section where the writer divulges the secrets of the Japanese baking process, the special techniques, ingredients etc. that you could use at home to recreate the kind of pleasure you get from eating a pastry from Mahoroba. But the truth is I have no idea how the pastries they offer transcend the Dunkin Donuts and Krispy Kremes of this country, but they do. To write a true review I really should have just sat there and sampled all the varieties (20-30) but I didn't want to put my health on the line for this article.

I can tell you that the white chocolate ones, soft, rich bread, surrounding a creamy white chocolate center, may have been made by an angel. If you're not into sweets Mahoroba offers Chicken Terryaki mini pizzas which are also excellent. My favorite (and pictured here) are the Red Bean Paste, Strawberries and Cream. The term "Red Bean Paste" conjures images of Mexican food stuffed into a donut, but I assure you it is very different. Sweet and smooth, it adds a heartiness to the pastry that gives the eater a sense that maybe they are getting some health benefits from this piece of Japanese Pastry Genius after all.

Regardless of what they fill their pastries with, I'll be back, again and again. And as far as a true understanding for you my readers, well you're just going to have to go there.

Lentils du Puy

I have an odd food shopping....let's call it a quirk. I'm prone to purchasing new ingredients after an interesting recipe gets me all fired up. And I'm particularly intrigued by bulk bins. Unfortunately my follow through doesn't always match my initial enthusiasm. I've made it my unofficial project the last week to try and use up some of the myriad grains, legumes and various sundry other pantry items I've collected.

It's lead to some surprisingly satisfying meals. And further experimentation is definitely warranted. Quinoa was a bit of a revelation. Clearly I have not been a vegetarian...well ever, but somehow I missed out on some of the staple grains. The "kitchen sink" style quinoa salad I made on Sunday needed some tweaks, but it was surprisingly easy and tasty for something so healthy.

But tonight's project topped it. In one shopping fit I purchased multiple lentil varieties. And aside from a decent side for fish one night I haven't touched them since. I move the pretty multi-colored mason jar housing them almost daily to get at other items in the cabinet, but haven't felt inspired. Tonight I finally managed to make use of some of the contents in a lovely, easy meal made up of a mash-up of a few different recipes.

Lentils du Puy are small dark lentils, they're often described as green but I honestly think they're more indigo or purple. From what I gather they are traditionally from the Auvergne region in France. The provenance of mine was by way of Whole Foods, so I can't vouch for the authenticity of their native land. Tonight's dinner was inspired in part by a vegetarian take on another recipe and in part by a blog I read about one woman's favorite lunch from a Paris bistro.

Essentially it's lentils cooked in white wine with eggs. So simple, but SO delicious. I'm continually amazed at the complex flavors that wine and fresh herbs give the most basic dishes. I add wine to a lot of things, it's probably what drew me to this recipe. I tend to add a splash to any cooking broth or sauce. Even a recent attempt to make pesto for a pasta salad with limited kitchen tools was remedied with a splash of wine--with decent results I must say.

Regardless, here's the basics of tonight's foray into the Great Cabinet Purge. There are pictures, but cooked lentils aren't particularly photogenic. You'll have to trust me, it was very pretty. Enjoy.

(Guide to my abbreviations: C=cup; T=tablespoon, as opposed to t=teaspoon)

Lentils du Puy Cooked in Wine, w/ Eggs

1/2 C lentils
1 bay leaf
1/2 C wine
1/2 C broth
1 med onion or 2 shallots, chopped fine
1 T flour
1/4 C parsley


-boil the lentils and bay leaf in water until tender, about 20-25 minutes. Drain and set aside.
-saute the onion/shallot in oil until tender.
-add wine, broth, flour and the cooked lentils.
-bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated.
-add parsley and salt and pepper to taste.
-fry two eggs in oil/butter, leaving yolk runny
-serve eggs over lentils with a side of greens
(note: I added some shredded aged gruyere, just because, but I don't think it's necessary)

Lazy Hazy Summer

The dog days of summer have hit with a vengeance. A week’s vacation, followed by the requisite crazy week at work that almost (but not quite) makes you regret the time off, coupled with the first dismally hot spell of a D.C. summer have sapped me of the will to do anything productive. The blog is clearly suffering as a result. Cooking and eating have, however, continued unabated. So here, in lazy list form is a synopsis of recently test driven recipes and food other people fed me since my last substantial blog post.

• Grilled pork loin with pineapple basil salsa. The basil really really made this one. I’ve tried it a few different ways, really it’s the salsa that makes this worth trying. Simple. Delicious. Repeatable. And has officially replaced mango salsa as my fruit based condiment of choice.
• Plums cooked with rosemary, sugar and juice over any kind of cream based goodness. It’s equally awesome with a dollop of mascarpone, sour cream or whipped cream. I think it’d be equally phenomenal paired with Greek yogurt, ice cream or quark.
• Fresh tomato sauce with capers and olives over penne. Needs some tweaking, but I’m developing a mild obsession with capers. I plan to revisit this one.
• Raw oysters and clams on the half shell eaten on the dock, with a steamed crab follow up. Clearly this was not a cooking episode, but to the cousin who kindly shucked them all for us: my thanks. Yum.
• Quinoa salad with grilled veggies and a champagne vinaigrette. I’ve been intending to try cooking quinoa for months. Finally did it. And surprisingly loved it! The specifics of the recipe aren’t as important, it was a definite kitchen sink approach, but glad to find a new grain to play with.
• JH made some seared tuna steaks after our fish market trip (more on that later) that were outrageous. She served them with some soy, ginger, sesame, wasabi sauciness… Awesome. Plus an Asian cole slaw on the side that might have changed my opinion about cole slaw forever. Seriously.
• Cod steamed on the grill with capers, dill and lemon, also procured at the fish market, see above. Never ceases to amaze me how buttery cod can be without the slightest bit of actual butter added. Awesome. And another caper-obsession fueled dinner.
• Have had bbq ribs (cooked by others) twice in the last two weeks. I’d forgotten how awesome they can be. Messy and a bit carnal, but delicious. One set was wet, one dry. I know bbq purists tend to favor one over the other depending on their personal style, but I have to say I love both. The dry rub on the most recent set was amazing, and even better the next day. And the ribs done with sauce were also great.
• IAG rolled fresh picked peaches and goat cheese in chicken. And grilled it. Enough said.
• Got my fill of Country Market pies on vacation with the whole fam at the beach. They’re an institution in our family. Strawberry rhubarb, peach, berry. If I could make a pie crust half this good I’d be a very happy girl.

Vermont Cheese

The travel listicle below made me miss Vermont. A lot. It's a National Geographic Traveler article about the VT Cheese Trail! Brilliant.... Although I would definitely argue that they left some fantastic artisanal cheese makers from the southern end of the state off. Taylor Farm maple smoked gouda, made in Londonderry, changed my life, or at least my stance on gouda cheese. And some of the early farm cheeses from the Major Farm in Westminster West (which is now the Vermont Shepherd Farm) that were sold at the Putney co-op inducted me into the wonders of earthy cheeses.

Vermont's a wonderful place, with a well entrenched local, sustainable food community. It's nice to see it get some attention, although the Vermonter in me has an inherent mistrust of any increase in tourism. That being said a lot of the local purveyors and business men depend on visitors, so here's the link.

Vermont Cheese Trail

The Perfect Burger?

Tonight I gave the Perfect Burger a shot. Here's a recap of the little things that make the "Perfect Burger" stand above the competition, according to the New York Times.

1. A 70-30 meat/fat content ground beef (I could only find as high as 80-20)
2. Sear the meat on the grill or in a skillet, finish in the oven on 375.
3. Don't handle the meat too much, shape it, and put it in the fridge to chill.
4. Make a small dimple in the center of the meat to avoid the "puff up" effect.
5. Salt just before cooking.
6. Have a warm, crispy, not totally in the background, not totally in the foreground, bun.
7. Homemade Pickles, cucumber slices soaked in rice wine.
8. Grate the cheese, then shape it to the burger for superior melting properties.
9. Cold, crisp lettuce and ripe tomatoes.


So, here goes. The choice of a higher fat content burger is not only cheaper on the wallet, but tastier to the pallet. Probably not as good for the body though (Soul and Mind, perhaps...) Searing the meat on the grill and then finishing in the oven makes for an incredibly juicy burger. Also, this method allows cooking large volumes of burgers to be ready at the same time. That I didn't overpack the meat helped but I can't say I really noticed an improvement from my previous "meat handling" technique. Make a dimple in the center, whole new world. This burger actually came out the shape I wanted it to, making it cook more evenly and also much easier to eat. Wow, who would have thought such a simple thing could make such a difference. Salt just before cooking? No noticeable improvement. Warm crispy bun? I'm still looking for the right bun, not that these were bad they just weren't that good either, and I still vote English muffins as the best burger bun. Homemade pickles? Maybe if I had let them soak a little longer or cut them a little thicker but overall, not the crazy "Wow!" you would hope for in something handcrafted. Grating the cheese and then shaping it absolutely makes a difference in both even meltingness and cheese stabilty. I always use crisp lettuce and ripe tomatoes, who doesn't?

Perfect? Not by a long shot, but a few key tips that will definately set these burgers above the rest. For now though, I'll keep looking for that perfect recipe.

Red, White and Blueberry

I don't think I can fully explain how excited I was to pick blueberries on my way home from the shore over the Fourth of July with LL and turn them into pancakes 24 hours later. Something about pick-your-own anything makes me happy. Giddy, silly, deeply little kid happy. It capped a perfectly July Fourth-y kind of weekend of beach, clams, food.

The house I grew up in until I was 18 was across the street from a huge pick-your-own operations in VT. Strawberries gave way to blueberries which in turn bowed to make room for raspberries. And there were orchards all over town that offered the same option for apples when the weather turned in September.

I remember long, hot summer days in the strawberry patch with my mother picking what seemed to me at the time like hundreds of pounds of berries to freeze for winter (or at least the ones that didn't get stuffed directly into our mouths). I remember cool wet falls days punctuated by fresh cider doughnuts spent pickng the apples for crisps and pies. For the record, apple picking was usually deemed the more "fun" of the two when we were kids because it offered an excuse to climb trees. Strawberries taste amazing when still warm from the sun, but picking berries off all those squat plants in long endlessly straight rows was much less fun than climbing gnarled old trees to toss apples down.

In both instances, and again last weekend as a grown up gathering blueberries in N.J. half the fun lies in eating oneself sick on the just picked fruit. If you've never tried it, I highly recommend a pick-your-own excursion.

The nostalgia was pushed even higher by coming home and making pancakes for dinner. It should be said here that LL and I spent a good portion of our picking time plotting out what to do with all the blueberries, I'm already wishing we'd doubled our haul.

But back to the pancakes. There's something so quintessentially comforting about breakfast foods, but I don't always have the craving early in the a.m. Breakfast for dinner isn't a tradition from my childhood, I think it's a habit I've acquired in adulthood. It must stem in some way from the discovery of brunch in college--we ate brunch like it's what we were studying to do. Although usually we ate out, cooking brunch in evolved later.

I've come further in my culinary wanderings as I've gotten older--I'm pretty sure that brunches and dinners I cooked in college never consisted of homemade blueberry buttermilk pancakes with a side of brown sugar and cayenne carmelized bacon. The college variety would have been more likely to include Bisquick and frozen veggie sausage patties (still a go to favorite prepared food if I'm being honest, but only Morningstar Farm's). Both meals would be smothered in real maple syrup, for Vermonters nothing else exists.

Regardless, I'm excited that pick-your-own berry patches have survived long enough for my culinary proclivities to catch up and give their fruit it's just dues.