Christmas 2008 in Photos

Homemade salmon gravlox with a mustard and dill sauce, made by my dad. This served as an appetizer for our Christmas Day foodie extravaganza! It was the perfect appetizer.

My mom's mini fruit muffins. Moist, delicious and the perfect bite after a big meal.

Our traditional Christmas eve dinner - lobster and steak. Why have turkey or ham when you can eat lobster?! I've just barely finished my Thanksgiving leftovers, so I'm all about something different for Christmas.

My mom's poached pears, which were served alongside the mini muffins on Christmas day. Light, delicate and perfect.

Here's my Christmas Day plate: Lobster bisque (which my dad makes every year with the leftover lobster from the night before), some salad and a roasted pork sandwich with onion relish on Dutch crunch bread. Honestly, there's really no meal as satisfying as this and I look forward to it every year.

Hyuma, who is officially unrelated to me but is like my little brother. His family has been joining ours for Christmas day since he was 1ish - he's 23 now and that makes me feel OLD! He's hapa as well so he really could be my brother!

My Christmas Eve plate: Steak, lobster and potato. YUM. We generally just eat the tails and then my dad makes stock from the shells and picks out all the claw and other meat for the bisque.

The dessert cheese plate from Christmas eve, served with chipotle jelly and crackers.

Monk and Molly, my parent's dogs, enjoying the holiday festivities. I'm off to Munich/Prague/Vienna for the next ten days, so Happy New Year, and I will see ya'll in 2009!!!

Christmas Crack

Every year, I bake a variety of Christmas cookies to give away. This Christmas, I decided to downsize a bit and just do one, simple but fabulous cookie. When I saw David Lebovitz's Chocolate-Covered Caramelized Matzoh Crunch, I knew I had found my one...cookie.

I changed it up a bit and used saltine crackers instead of matzoh, simply because I like the added salt and thought it would work well with the caramel and chocolate. I also sprinkled mine with toasted pecans. Because saltines are slightly more delicate than matzoh crackers, I used a knife to cut them into squares vs. breaking them off. I'm telling you, these are utterly addictive. And the best part is that they are incredibly easy and cheap to make.

Happy Holidays! (And in the spirit of the holidays, don't forget to bid on items - including mine - for this year's Menu for Hope auction).

Menu for Hope - Prize Code UW28

I'm a bit behind this year but am managing to squeeze this in before deadline: For this year's Menu for Hope, which raises money for a VERY good cause, I am donating a dinner with me at the famed Chateau Marmont Hotel restaurant in West Hollywood. Chef Carolynn Spence (formerly of Spotted Pig in NYC) will create an incredible tasting menu for us - with wine pairings - and you may choose the date/time for whenever you'd like. So basically this is a dinner for one, since you will be going with me, if that is OK. :) You will meet the chef and sommelier as well. We will meet there at the restaurant, so this is somewhat limited to locals (unless you plan on being in LA sometime - that's fine too!).

Included in the dinner will be a box of treats created by yours truly, that you can take home with you.

To bid on this prize, use code UW28. Here are instructions:

1. Choose a prize or prizes of your choice from our Menu for Hope at http://chezpim.com/ (or go to MattBites, who is displaying the west coast prizes on his blog).

2. Go to the donation site at http://www.firstgiving.com/menuforhope5 and make a donation.

3. Each $10 you donate will give you one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice. Please specify which prize you'd like in the 'Personal Message' section in the donation form when confirming your donation. You must write-in how many tickets per prize, and please use the prize code.For example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for EU01 and 3 tickets for EU02. Please write 2xEU01, 3xEU02

4. If your company matches your charity donation, please check the box and fill in the information so we could claim the corporate match.

5. Please allow us to see your email address so that we could contact you in case you win. Your email address will not be shared with anyone.

A Lighter Calcannon

Calcannon is a very traditional Irish dish that's usually made up of mashed potatoes, cabbage, butter and sometimes bacon or ham. It's a great leftover dish, but also one that can stand out as a great side or main course with a side salad.

The the weather cooling off, I was in the mood for calcannon and decided to make a lighter version. First, I cooked up a small head of cabbage and 1/2 of an onion with some turkey bacon in a saute pan until the vegetables were tender. I then microwaved some cauliflower and one sweet potato, and pureed them in the food processor with a 1/2 cup of buttermilk, 1/4 cup of shredded 2% cheese and one wedge of Laughing Cow low-fat Garlic & Herb cheese. The addition of the sweet potato helped bind the mixture; sometimes with pure cauliflower mash, things can get a bit watery. I also added salt and pepper to taste.

I then mixed the mash mix with the sauteed onions/cabbage/turkey bacon, and threw in a few chopped scallions. At this point, you could eat it just as it is as calcannon is typically served in the same way as mashed potatoes.

But I'm a sucker for baked dishes so I pressed the mix into a dish and baked it in the oven for 30 minutes. The result was a hot, delicious, decadent-tasting calcannon that doesn't miss any of the extra starch or fat of the regular version. I was really amazed at how much flavor the turkey bacon added to this dish with less than half the fat of regular bacon (yes, I know it's not the same but in this dish it works beautifully). The entire casserole has 14 WW points...not bad, and this would yield at least 4 large servings, so you do the math!

My Calcannon

1 small head of cauliflower, cut into florets

1 sweet potato

6 slices of turkey bacon, chopped

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 large white onion, chopped

1 small cabbage, chopped

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 wedge Laughing Cow low-fat cheese (any flavor you want is fine)

1/4 cup 2% shredded cheese of any kind

4 scallions, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

After washing cauliflower florets, wrap in a single layer in a damp paper towel. Put on a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high for 5 minutes, or until cauliflower is tender. Set aside. Using a fork, pierce the skin of the sweet potato, and then wrap it in a damp paper towel. Microwave on high for 5 minutes, or until the potato is tender. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a large saute pan, cook the turkey bacon for about 3 minutes. Remove the bacon but leave any cooking liquid that the bacon has left behind in the pan. Add olive oil. Cook onion and cabbage in the saute pan over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until they are soft and translucent. Add bacon back into the cabbage and onion mixture and cook for 1 minute. Take off heat and set aside.

Peel the sweet potato and cut into large pieces. Puree the potato, cauliflower, buttermilk and cheeses in a food processor until the mixture is smooth like mashed potatoes. Add more buttermilk if the mixture is too thick. In a large bowl, mix the pureed mixture with the bacon/cabbage/onion mix and add the scallions and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Put mixture into a baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.

"Don't Hate the Game" Chili

My friend Rob has an annual chili cookoff (and a summer BBQ) every year, and I enter every year. It's not really a competition; just a bunch of friends who gather for booze, chili and a good time. This year I thought I'd try something really different and make a chili using only game meat. Lucky for me, Harmony Farms is relatively close and sells all kinds of wild game meat. The chili was a hit, and is something I'd definitely make again. It wasn't too gamey, but if you consider lamb gamey, this chili is not for you.

"Don't Hate the Game" Chili

6 strips of bacon, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 lb elk stew meat

1 lb buffalo stew meat

12 ounces buffalo sausage (I used chipotle flavor from Harmony Farms)

1 large onion, chopped

1 large jalapeno, seeded and minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2.5 tablespoons chili powder

1.25 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 bay leaf

2, 7-oz cans of mild green chiles

1, 12-oz can of dark beer

1, 32-oz can of diced tomatoes

1, 12-oz can of beef broth

2, 12-oz cans of pinto beans (optional)

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Salt to taste

Cook bacon in a large dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until the fat renders. Remove bacon but save. Add olive oil. In single layers, brown the elk, buffalo and buffalo sausage, but do not cook meat all the way through. Remove from pot and set aside.

Using the fat and juices leftover from the meat, saute the onions, garlic and jalapeno pepper until soft. Add chili powder, cumin, oregano and pepper and stir until onions/garlic/pepper is coated. Add bay leaf, all of the seared meat/sausage, green chiles, tomatoes, beef broth, beer and pinto beans and throw in the cooked bacon. Turn heat up and bring to a boil, and then turn heat down to low and let simmer for at least 90 minutes. Add honey and cocoa powder and stir until well blended.

Enjoy!

Another Leftover Turkey Idea

Sometimes inspiration comes from the most unlikely of places, and this dish is the perfect example. Though I absolutely loooooooove the show, "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" on the Food Network, I'm not a huge fan of Guy Fieri's cooking show. However, in a recent "Best Of" edition of DDD, Fieri showed off some dishes from his Tex Wasabi's restaurant. One of them was a BBQ pork summer roll, which is something I would never think of making but actually sounded good.

Since I still had some leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, I simply shredded it and mixed with some BBQ sauce. I then softened some rice paper in hot water and filled them with the BBQ turkey mixture, cilantro, scallions and sliced cucumbers. Not bad, Fieri. Not bad at all.

Healthy, Delicious Way to Use that Turkey

If you're like me, you are still pretty stuffed from Thanksgiving and you want to keep things light (at least until the next holiday, which is just around the bend). You probably also have a bunch of turkey meat left over. What to do, what to do...

My sister turned me onto this great, low-fat (and happens to be low-carb too) roasted chili bake that is perfect, both as an excuse to use up your turkey and for eating healthy. I improvised on the original recipe and sauteed a half of a large onion (diced) with 1 cup of diced bell peppers in a pan with a touch of water and a 1/2 packet of taco seasoning. After it cooked, I added 6 ounces of diced, already-cooked turkey meat to the mix.

I then got a square casserole dish and sprayed it with olive oil spray. I lined the bottom with six, whole roasted green chilies - I bought a 27-oz can which contains about 15 of them. Just slice on side of each chile so that they'll lay flat and pat dry with a paper towel before putting into the dish. Next, I added a layer of the onion/bell pepper/turkey mixture.

I then added a layer of 2% shredded Mexican blend cheese. I used 1/4 cup plus 1/8 cup of cheese (I did all the measuring to keep track of calories/points/etc.).

After the cheese, I added a layer of chopped cilantro and scallions (green onions). Now, starting from the beginning, add another layer (green chilies, onion/bell pepper/turkey mix, cheese, cilantro/scallions). To bind the whole thing together, pour 1/2 cup of Eggbeaters over the whole thing, making sure to get the edges so that the egg seeps down to the bottom.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes total. I covered mine with foil for the first 20 minutes, and then removed for the remaining 20 minutes. The result was a delicious, very healthy Mexican casserole.

Just to give you an idea of how healthy this is, the entire casserole has 18 points if you are a Weight Watchers member or are familiar with the points system. So each of the 6 servings (one serving, above) has THREE POINTS. I'm not on WW but am familiar with the points system, which is a lot easier than counting calories. In any case, enjoy!

If you don't have leftover turkey, you can just omit it all together and have this be completely vegetarian. Or, add whatever protein you've got around, even tofu.

[Not My] Uncle Richard's Sweet Potato Pie

Just a big, heapin' thanks to Homesick Texan and her uncle Richard's sweet potato pie recipe. She's right; it really is the best ever and it was a huge hit this Thanksgiving. I doubt we'll ever go back to pumpkin pie after this. Also a big-ups to Smitten Kitchen for her perfect pie crust recipe. Though I cheated (used a food processor instead of a pastry cutter), it still came out perfectly flaky, all the way through.

Southern Charm

Ever since I read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in college, I’ve been captivated by the south. The sultry charm, the low drawl, the mint juleps. And there’s something so romantic about those humid Savannah nights and Southern belles and proper, hat-tipping gentlemen.

Though about 80 miles from Savannah, Sea Island in Georgia has all the southern charm and none of the crowds (not to mention no deep fried butter balls, a la Paula Deen). It’s a private island used mainly as a resort, but it feels more like a quiet retreat than your typical, overrun resort. When I was there, the hotel was about 90% booked, but I hardly ever saw more than a few people wherever I went on the property, even at the restaurants. In the evenings, I strolled along the waterfront alone, watching the sunset. I even swam in the enormous indoor swimming pool and shared the water with only one other person.

The décor at Sea Island Resort & Spa is, in a word, stunning. It’s a mix of traditional Southern and Missionary chic. There are both glittering chandeliers and gargantuan candelabras hanging in the lobby, and the rooms feature dark, hardwood floors with antique rugs and plush, velvet furniture. My balcony looked out onto the water, slit with tall swamp grass, and the trees along the roadways dripped with Spanish moss – exactly like I had imagined it would be.

Of course there were many Southern dishes that I tried, for the first time, while there. I had some fried green tomatoes, which came with a Tabasco mayo dipping sauce. They were crunchy on the outside, and moist but not overly juicy on the inside. They reminded me of fried zucchini, and though I didn’t love them they were very, very good. I had a real biscuit – tall and fluffy and buttery – smothered in country gravy, which was excellent.

At St. Simons Island (a quick car ride from Sea Island), I had a shrimp po’boy and reveled in all its crispy shrimp/chewy bread/fresh lettuce/tomato glory. The sweet corn grits at Sea Island’s Oak Room restaurant was a revelation: creamy and dense, with crisp kernels of sweet corn and laced with a buttery sweetness and unlike anything I’ve ever tasted. Ditto on the sweet potato pie I had at the Georgian Room Restaurant, which was topped with a decadent praline and decorated with a luscious cream drizzle.

What I enjoyed most about the place were the people. Though I am not an old-fashioned girl by any stretch of the imagination, I almost came to admire the perfectly coiffed women and dutifully chivalrous men that I met during my stay. I was called “ma’am” a lot and doors were held open for me and there was genuine warmth and care there. Even the rules were somehow delightful. Men are required to remove their hats in restaurants and lounges, and proper attire is requested at numerous places. Coming from Los Angeles, where it seems everyone does whatever they want whenever they want and the self is of utmost importance, it was nice.

I’ll write more about my visit to Sea Island for a magazine early next year. More details to come later!

Spain and Squid

Recently a mainstay on my DVR has been episodes of "Spain...On the Road Again." If you haven't heard of this series, it is a PBS show that follows Mario Batali, Gwenyth Paltrow, Mark Bittman and actress Claudia Bassols as they eat their way through Spain. I thoroughly enjoy the show, especially Bitty's hunger-fueled, cantankerous outbursts and Claudia's child-like delight in everything she eats. I like that the food showcased is simple; it's not about fancy sauces and plating, it's about taking something that nature has already perfected and not screwing it up.

In one episode, Batali and Bitty ditch the girls to go "to the gym" (translation: they hit a number of tapas bars and stuff themselves silly). The duo is practically giddy with glee as they savor simple and wonderful tapas staples like prosciutto, olives and shrimp. But the plate that caught my attention, and seemed to hypnotize the two B's was the squid in its own, black ink. I knew then that I had to have some.

I found canned miniature squid in black ink at Whole Foods, and decided to get one for dinner last night. I made a simple salad of spring greens and cucumbers with a balsamic and Dijon dressing, and had it with the squid. It made for a cheap but luxurious dinner. The squid was stuffed with more squid meat and covered in a mixture of olive oil and ink. It was savory and slightly sweet and the ink added a touch of richness. Perfecto.

Revisiting the Childhood Casa

My childhood was spent in Temple City, a small suburb about 8 miles southeast of Pasadena. Most foodies know the area now as an Asian food mecca with lots of excellent dim sum and Chinese restaurants, but back in the day, it was nothing of the sort. In fact, I recall one of our neighbors on our then all-white street who wouldn't talk to my parents because they were in an interracial marriage (my mom is Japanese). Like I said, TC was a different place 20 years ago.

Temple City back then had a few mom and pop hamburger joints, some fast food places and our local Mexican restaurant, Casa del Rey. As a kid, it was one of my favorites. I didn't have a particular dish that I always ordered but I remember liking whatever I got every time. Not that my taste buds were as refined as they are now (ha), but it was basic Mexican food in a cozy atmosphere and I liked that. Going out to eat was always a special treat as well, and Casa del Rey was only one of a couple places that we went to semi-regularly.

On Friday, a couple of my childhood friends from the 'hood and I revisited Casa del Rey. Tawny, who I've known since I was 8 years old, ordered her favorite crispy beef taco combo, which comes with rice and beans. I opted for the carnitas soft tacos, also with rice and beans. We also - for the first time at Casa del Rey - ordered double margaritas (last time either of us were there, we were probably only 15 years old!). Everything was decent, though not great, but we enjoyed it nonetheless.

Jeff got the enchiladas, which he gave a big thumbs-up to. His was a combo as well, so it came with the standard-issue rice and beans. But Casa del Rey's rice is actually quite good; it's a bit dry but I actually prefer my Spanish rice to be on the dryer side. The beans come slathered in melted cheese. Yum.

Steve ordered the flautas, which, upon seeing it on his plate, reminded me that these used to be my favorite here. Of course I had to have a bite and they were as delicious as I remember - hot, crispy and packed with flavorful beef.

Again, this restaurant isn't the best Mexican food ever but it certainly holds a lot of good memories for all of us, and that's reason enough to revisit the place once in a while. For big, satisfying Mexican dishes and a walk down memory lane, we can't beat Casa del Rey.

An Inspired Creation

When I was in New Zealand, I discovered that I actually like something I thought I didn't. Because I don't care for the taste of licorice, I've always disliked raw fennel and have passed on many a salad on a restaurant menu because it was a main ingredient. But while on a Zest food tour in Wellington, our guide took us to a local favorite called Floriditas and we were served a fennel and parsley salad with currents and a simple olive oil and lemon vinaigrette. It came with a simple grilled chicken skewer and was an immediate surprise: the salad was fresh, crisp and did not have a trace of anise or licorice flavor.

We asked the chef how to make the salad and I vowed to recreate it for myself once at home. So the other day I bought some baby fennel and Italian parsley and went to work. Though I forgot the currants, the result was just as good as the salad I had at Floriditas. I think the lemon juice actually cancels out the anise essence and leaves a crisp, fresh flavor. Since I had some ripe avocados, I topped mine with some thin slices and the perfect salad was born.

For my main, I took elements from different dishes I'd had in New Zealand and came up with a white bean and squid saute. It, too, was simply seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and a dash of cayenne. Fresh seafood is so prevalent in New Zealand that it's easy to find in almost any restaurant, but instead of overdressing or saucing it the chefs just bring out the seafood's natural flavor with just a few, simple complimentary ingredients.

Thanks to Zest for a fantastic food tour, and to Floriditas for inspiration!

Yes We Can!

History has been made. Tomorrow, I will run out and buy the paper and keep it forever. Yes, yes, yes!!!

(photo courtesy of Obama '08)

Don't Hate Me

Starting yesterday, I've been doing a juice fast. I plan to stay on it for at least three days, with the hope of being able to go for five total. Why on earth would a foodie and food blogger subject herself to such torture, you ask? The truth is that I've been feeling really blech lately, my allergies (hay fever) have been driving me nuts and I'm still feeling the effects of eating and drinking for two weeks straight in New Zealand. I need to detox and focus and a juice fast is a great way to do it.

Basically, I am drinking fresh squeezed fruit and vegetable juice, vegetable broth, herbal tea and lots of water. After day one, I feel better already - lighter, calmer and focused. The biggest temptation are my friends, who have been inviting me out for dinners and happy hours and what-not. But I am determined to stick this out and gain the benefits from the cleanse.

I'll report back when I'm done, and get back to posting about actual food!

Centeno's Stamp on Bar Celona

photo copyright 2008 Clare Kleinedler

Recently checked out the new menu at Bar Celona in Pasadena, and it's definitely a winner. Before Chef Josef Centeno swept in for his consulting gig, this was yet another waste of space in Old Town; great atmosphere, but no substance or style when it came to the food. Now it's a different story.

The menu features tapas that you would actually find in Spain: fried anchovies with a touch of honey (believe me, these are addictive); chicken liver conserva on crispy toasts, blistered padron peppers with just a touch of sea salt, charred bread rubbed with raw garlic and tomatoes. This is the kind of food I love to eat, and paired with one of the selections from the restaurant's new wine list (Centeno also consulted on this), well, it's all I need for a good night out. To finish? I highly recommend the chilled cinnamon rice pudding with candied pecans and caramel.

View the complete menu here.

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

I couldn't possibly post all of my photos and stories of my trip to New Zealand; there are just too many and it wouldn't be right if, three months from now, you were still reading about a trip I took way back when.

It was difficult leaving such a beautiful country, and I can truly say that I fell in love with the place. It's green, clean and has a booming gourmet food scene that's full of life and vitality. There's a lot of optimism here; people are excited and hopeful in a way I haven't seen in a while.

Of course the most memorable parts of my trip involved the people I met over my two-week adventure. The chefs, the tour guides, the cab drivers - everyone was kind, friendly and eager to share. They were proud and it showed in whatever they produced.

New Zealand surprised me in a lot of ways. I had been once before, and though I have fond memories of it, it didn't leave a memorable impression. This time was different. If I was talking about just the food alone, I would say I had at least a half-dozen dishes that were completely new to me, and prepared in ways that I hadn't seen before. I was introduced to a wide range of vegetables that I had never before tasted, and had some of the best seafood I've ever eaten in my life. Suffice it to say that I will most likely be disappointed by any mussels dish I'll order here in the states after feasting on the monster-sized, insanely rich and succulent variety available in New Zealand.

There were other revelations as well. I was actually able to go through an airport without any security checks. I walked up, said my name, got my ticket and was on the plane (intercontinental flight, not international). Before you get all worked up about how the NZ government is risking lives, etc., just appreciate the simplicity of something we were able to do - without any fear - less than ten years ago. It was a small and precious gift.

I loved that so many people I met had left their corporate jobs to move onto something more fulfilling; a former Parliament writer turned beer expert/writer; a former IT manager who became a vintner; an advertising executive who is now giving foodie tours around her neighborhood. Lifestyle matters to these people, and they proved that sometimes taking a risk pays off - not monetarily, but in ways that are priceless.

I got to witness people living a simpler life, one with few material goods but filled with family traditions and spiritual connections. A life of hard work, and a life hard-earned.

There were plenty of people marching to the beat of their own drum. And the respect they were shown by the mainstream really impressed me.

Now I have to do the seemingly impossible: I have to sit down and write a feature story on this country and its culinary point of view and the people who define it. How I will ever do them justice is beyond me, but all I can do is try my best.

Wish me luck!