2011 Food Trends & Being Snubbed by Barefoot Contessa at the Fancy Food Show

I confess: I've got a thing for entrepreneurs. 

There's just something so awe-inspiring as creating a business from scratch, to take the road less taken and most of all, to believe in an idea so much that an entrepreneur would do everything in his/her power to rally a team of a few (or hundreds) to bring said idea to fruition. 

To me, meeting Martha Stewart trumps over the biggest movie star du jour any day. Having met Tom Ford and other notable entrepreneurs, I feel they are down-to-earth and often ready to share a wealth of information.

So, imagine my delight in attending the 2011 Fancy Food Show in San Francisco for work. Not only was there to be 3 days of tasting galore, there was also the chance to meet with food entrepreneurs, one of which was Barefoot Contessa, the easy-going personality of Food Network. 

Alas, a friendly on-screen personality doesn't always translate to real life. It was evident as an artisan cheese maker in line earnestly praised Contessa and presented her with a wheel of his best cheese only to be thanked in a bored sigh and with directions to place the wheel away from the display. 

I fared no better, as my request for a photo was met with explicit directions to stand at least a few feet away. Sadness. 

The Ace of Cakes booth was even more disappointing. They had roped off the entire booth and only a few buyers were invited in the space. When did TV personalities had bigger egos than their actor counterparts? 

Fortunately, Chef Paul Prudhomme was a more welcoming figure (not to mention a legend), chatting and joking with passerby's. 

The food also didn't disappoint. From cured hams from Italy, cheeses from around the world and enough sweets to satisfy the most formidable sweet tooth, I felt like a kid in a stadium-size candy shop. 

After tasting (and re-tasting) at most of the 1,300 booths, here is my report on 2011's food trends.

1. Black truffle "caviar" 

Taking the latest molecular gastronomy techniques, Tartuflanghe disguises concentrated black winter truffle juice in caviar form through spherification. Served on top of toast with smoke salmon and mild cheese, the truffle perlage samples were in such demand that the server had trouble keeping it in stock. I alone had more than a handful. Each day.

2. Duck Proscuitto 

Hudson Valley may be known best for their foie gras, but their myriad of delectable duck products stole the show. There were duck salami, smoked duck breast and duck proscuitto. Sweeter than their ubiquitous porky cousin, it was smoky, silky and addicting. Lesson learned? It's great during breakfast, lunch and dinner!

3. Flavorless Water

It seems water has come a full circle. With the carbonated, vitamin infused and fruity flavored water now considered passe, the hot new water are ones that are flavorless so they can better hydrate and cleanse the palate. Claims made by such are SanTasti and Blk…  I think marketers are running out of things to promote!

All in all, a wonderfully delicious show!

Photos courtesy of Rachel

My Day in the BLD Kitchen

IIt was 4pm and I stood in BLD's employee's bathroom fussing over about my motley outfit of Banana Republic dress pants, a pair of boys socks, black crocs and a collared shirt.

Only a few hours ago, I was on the phone with Anuar, BLD's general manager, proposing the idea of me shadowing Chef Diana and her crew since I had won their Tweet-a-Dish Contest. My goal was to help out and observe the conception and execution of a dish as well as to see how their kitchen ran. 

Intrigued, Anuar said he'll discuss with Neil and Amy Fraser, the husband and wife team behind Grace and BLD. After what seemed to be an eternity (aka an hour), I was given the green light!

And so, after a design presentation, I rushed over and quickly changed into the only pair of pants I owned and ran to meet Chef D. With a warm smile, backwards baseball cap (the unofficial uniform of the crew) and speaking a mile a minute, she quickly showed me the facility and kitchen. 

Because I have worked in pastry at the now closed Sona, it was comforting to be back in a commercial kitchen. However, there are changes between two. Back in Sona, I was coddled in the cool (temperature-wise) side of kitchen as the pastry station was next to the garde manger and had low boys and a freezer. 

The BLD kitchen however, the cooks are sandwiched between a wall of scalding hot grills, ranges, a deep fryer and the other side, heating lamps. To keep cool, I gulped ice water. 

As Chef D had other matters to attend to as she oversees the entire kitchen, she introduces me to Adonis (Doni) where he showed me the ropes. I also made acquaintance with the all-male staff (where are the girls?) and then it was business. 

To create Chef D's version of the fish taco—beer batter fish taco with cilantro ginger slaw, Thai chili Aioli and corn tortillas to be exact—it starts with homemade corn tortillas made in house that day. 

Next was star of the show, the fish. A fresh shipment of rock cod arrived that morning, so Chef D had prepared a marinade of coconut cream and an in-house blend of curry paste made with fresno chilies, shallots, ginger, amongst various spices. 

As the fish is marinating, Doni and I ground Arborio rice till it became a fine powder to be used to flour the fillets. He also taught me the secrets of making a crunchy yet airy beer batter: 1 parts flour, 2 parts corn starch, baking powder, lots of beer (Pilsner for taste), soda water, salt and freshly toasted cumin and coriander seeds to build flavor. Don't forget at the end 1 egg white beaten to soft peaks, the key to a light batter. 

The cilantro ginger slaw was given similar care. The cabbage, carrots and green onions were finely shredded and lightly salted to draw out moisture. Right before serving, the slaw was dressed with a dressing of cane sugar, fish sauce, sesame paste, chilies and lime. 

My main contribution of the day was making aioli, to which I added lime juice, lime zest and an ungodly amount of Sriracha to homemade mayo. 

With all the components ready, it was time for a test run! 

Doni carefully dusts the generous fillets of fish in the rice powder, then dunks it in the beer batter and lightly lowers the fillet into hot oil. Then, a corn tortilla is sprinkled with water and thrown on the griddle to warm and soften. Chef D then smears on a generous helping of the Thai aioli, and places on the freshly fried fish and slaw. To serve, a sprig of cilantro and crushed macadamia nuts are sprinkled on top. It was a sight of beauty. 

After the wait staff gathers, we all divvy up the test taco and my oh my, my recipe pales in comparison to Chef D's masterpiece. Crunchy, spicy and fresh at the same time, it was as if my mouth was on vacation on sunny Cabo. 

I stayed a little while longer to watch them prepare a few other dishes—one of which was an interesting vegan dish that packs a party of flavors—but I knew I couldn't wait much longer for the full fish taco experience. With that, I changed back into my dress, met up with my friend and got our grub on!

Thank you to Chef Diana and Anuar for making a foodie's dream come true. And to Doni and the kitchen team for patiently showing me around. Lastly, to Christina of Food J'taime, Kevin of KevinEats and Matt of Mattouille for coming out!  

Note: The photo of Chef D and I as well as the good photo of the fish taco are courtesy of Kevin.

Join Me at BLD Tonight & Giveaway!

I'm breaking my vows. 

2 years ago, I set myself the challenge to not wear pants (weird, I know) and have been going strong up till today.  That's right, even before Kanye West's Rosewood fashion initiative, I've aimed to bring back the art of dressing. 

For today though, I'll be taking a temporary break. To don a pair of pants so I can explore the kitchens of BLD!

It all started out with their weekly Tweet a Dish contest. Everyone is invited to submit dish ideas for their Thursday night dinner via Twitter to Chef Diana (BLDchfD) where she then chooses a dish and recreates it. Best part? The idea-originator gets a free meal for him/her and a guest!

So, I submitted my recipe for a turmeric and ginger fish taco with a jicama slaw  (recipe here—and if you don't mind, vote for me? Pretty please?) and much to much surprise and delight—got chosen as this week's winner!

Best part? Chef Diana will be reinterpreting my dish with her twist and I've been invited to the depths of the famed BLD kitchen to help prep and observe what it takes in the creation and execution of a restaurant worthy dish. 

If you are without dinner plans tonight, I'll love to see you at BLD and cook you a plate of delicious fish tacos! 

And now, onward to the giveaway! If you're a bacon fan, I've 10 bacon greeting cards to give to a lucky winner! I'd wax poetry about it, but I'll let the photos speak for themselves instead :) 

The rules? All you have to do is visit Alaska Fish Taco's contest page and vote for my recipe: Turmeric and Ginger Dusted Alaskan Cod Tacos and leave a comment with your contact email. Simple. 

An extra entry will be given if you follow Gastrophoria on Twitter—please make sure to make note of it in your comment. 

At 11pm Pacific Time next Monday (3/14), I'll draw a name randomly and contact the winner to get mailing info. Spread the word, don't delay and best of luck!

Opening Reception at Starry Kitchen this Friday

This month flew by in a blur! I've been consumed in painting an abstract portrait of a whale shark, my latest and most challenging commission to date. 

Normally, my paintings hardly ever see open air, as they are passed directly to my patron's collection as soon as they're completed. But, this time around, I'm mixing things up and thus, excited to present and to invite you to an unveiling of my painting! 

Courtesy of Starry Kitchen and my friend Matt K., my painting, titled Marokintana (Rhincodon Typus) will be on display this Friday, March 11th, at Starry Kitchen from 6:30-9:30 pm. 

To whet your appetite, here's a little sneak peak of the painting in progress… 

So, if you haven't any dinner plans already, come on by, say hi and feed your stomach and mind! 

And shhh… keep it on the down low, but rumor has it Starry Kitchen will be featuring Taiwanese pork chops, krab cakes and pandan flan (in addition to their famous spicy pork belly and lemongrass chicken) this Friday night. Awesome blossom!

Red Velvet Cookies: A Happy Accident

Who knew how versatile a humble box of cake mix can be? 

It was one of those days. My eyes were shot from staring at the computer all day at work, followed by a frustrating commute home… only to find out after walking in my home that I forgot to grocery shop. 

In this case, it was not for dinner but rather for an art reception the next day! Yet, I'm so exhausted the thought of making a trek to the nearest store is like getting my wisdom teeth pulled. Ok, so I haven't had them pulled yet—the big day is this Saturday—but you get the point.

So instead, I started rummaging through my cupboards, hoping for divine intervention. And it came, in a box of Duncan Hines Red Velvet Cake Mix. Problem was, I couldn't make cupcakes because the piece de la resistance at the show is an interactive cupcake piece. Le merde. 

You see, I was brought on board by my old design professor at USC to mentor a few students for their upcoming show, X Marks the Spot, where every participating artist must take a letter and recreate its form in an unexpected medium. 

As luck would have it, I was paired with 3 foodie designers! So, it was joy to brainstorm with them and basically have my minions, ahem, I mean students create my dream vision. Not going to give away the cow, so I can only say one of the pieces involves cupcakes and lots of them. If you're interested in checking it out, the reception is tomorrow night (1/25) at USC's Lindhurst Gallery from 5 to 8pm. Just say Tsz sent you! 

Anyways, back to the cake mix. Competing cupcakes were out of the equation, so what else can I do? Fortunately, it turns out with a slight alternation in the eggs and butter ratio, the mix can be transformed into a cookie dough—and it's so easy! 

Don't believe me? Let me show you in 6 steps. 

1. Open cake mix in a big mixing bowl. 

2. Grate 1 teaspoon of orange peel and mix well. Actually, this is optional, but I rather like the taste of orange and chocolate together. So if you skip this, it's only 5 steps. 

3. Beat in 2 eggs and 6 tablespoons of melted butter. Really trippy how the tan colored cake mix turns blood red in the span of a minute... 

4. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and roll them in a  mixture of 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon cornstarch.

5. Baked in a 375 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. 

6. Let cool and dust with more powdered sugar. 

Done and done. They're best when fresh out of the oven cause they're soft and chewy. Addicting. 

I got a little styling-happy and busted out some patriotic napkins—would make for a festive July Fourth dessert don't you think? 

Thank you Ducan Hines!