All posts tagged: cooking

Where have you been, Jelly Bean?

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Hey guys! I hope everyone is doing well. So, I have not posted any new blog post for the past 3 weeks, except for my recent interview with Chef Andew Miller. I actually have not been cooking. David has been working a lot on a new project (which I cannot wait to share, in due time) and he also has been managing the kitchen at NP#2. With my sister in school as well, I have no one to cook for. One of my very good friends had asked me to officiate her wedding in two weeks. I am so excited that she had asked me. I’ve been trying to lose some pork belly weight before the wedding. Lately, my diet has been mostly kale and almond butter shakes, steamed salmon summer rolls, and quinoa salads. All delicious and healthy! No weight loss yet though. 😦 I am currently working on a project of my own, but I will keep that hush hush until the official reveal day. There’s so much to look forward to and I am …

Chef Andrew Miller on Today’s Culinary Industry

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I am very fortunate to have known Chef Andrew Miller. Being a Chef for well over 30 years, Chef Miller is a wealth of knowledge in the cooking and hospitality world. I visited Chef at his current office at Gwinnett Technical College, where he is a Chef Instructor to aspiring culinary students. Chef’s office is a small museum of cooking manuals, kitchen tools, trophies, graduation certificates, and photographs of past employment places. Stood against a busy wall is a framed certificate of Guinness World Record for the largest pastry ever made, which Chef and seven other teammates still hold the title today. About six years ago, Chef Miller was my husband’s, David, culinary instructor at Le Cordon Bleu. The two kept in touch and once in a while, we would get to have dinner with Chef. Up until today, Chef continues to mentor his alumni such as David and the successful Jiyeon Lee of Heirloom BBQ and Sobban Restaurant. It is rare to see someone so passionate about his art and his students. David said Chef was …

Rack of Lamb with Vietnamese Miso

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I recently had an opportunity of writing a cookbook review for our local newspaper, the Georgia Asian Times. The given book was The Vietnamese Market Cookbook by Van Tran and Anh Vu. The book inspired me to get back in my kitchen and started cooking more often at home. One of the very first recipes I tested from the book was Shoulder of Lamb with Vietnamese Miso. Instead of lamb shoulder, I used two racks of lamb David and I purchased from Costco. I made it and my toughest critics, my very traditional, very Vietnamese parents, loved it. Truthfully, I’ve always been intimidated by lamb. To me, lamb are usually made by kitchen experts and served in restaurants where table manners are required, and your meal comes with 10 different utensils, each with an unnecessary purpose. Like the lady in the movie Titanic said, just start from the outside and work your way in. Growing up, we never ate lamb. Partly because of the cost, and also because it’s not a common cut of meat in …

Pâté Chaud

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After their colonization in Vietnam, the French left behind their love for bread, butter, pastries, etc. Overtime, Vietnamese cooks use their own adaptations of regional ingredients and create a fusion of French Vietnamese dishes that we all know and love today. Popular above all is the famous french baguette sandwich, the banh mi. From food trucks to Michelin star restaurants, banh mi is winning over America like mason jars have won their place at the dining room table. However, looking past the banh mi stand in most Vietnamese bakeries, you will find banh mi‘s less glamorous cousin, the pâté chaud. In French, pâté chaud literally means “hot pastry pie.” These savory puff pastries are so easy to make, and oh so delicious! INGREDIENTS 1 lb of ground pork 11 oz of pâté (You can make your own, or buy the canned pâté. I used 4 small cans.) 3 boxes of frozen puff pastries sheets (You can find these in the freezer aisle of your grocery store, next to the frozen desserts. I used Pepperidge Farm brand) 3 …

Country Captain

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I was first introduced to Country Captain from a Throwdown with Bobby Flay episode from The Food Network. Flay went head to head(s) with the charming, dorky, Lee brothers, Ted and Matt Lee. A few Google searches and one Amazon purchase of their  book, The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook, later,  Country Captain is now a frequent dish in our kitchen. Chicken thighs are lightly browned in bacon fat, then bake in tomato sauce with bell peppers, onion, currants, and a mix of curry and garam masala, served over steamed rice. This delicious dish is easy to make, and tastes even better the next day as leftover. This James Beard award-winning cook book, by the way, is a must have for your book collection. Recipe courtesy of the Lee Brothers and Food Network. INGREDIENTS 1/2 cup chicken broth 1/2 cup dried currants or raisins 1 tablespoon curry powder 1 tablespoon garam masala 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning 1/4 pound slab bacon or fatty country …