Clara Casa

Layout Testing Article

2006-08-28T07:22:00.000+08:00

During Independent’s holiday weekend, we visited Tijuana, just for Mexican food.

Tijuana is quite closed to US boarder, if you start from Los Angeles, it takes about 2 hour drive, pass San Diego to Tijuana. If you say Tijuana is raised by US, it’s right. Many people go there just for fun – which they cannot enjoy in their hometown. From high way 5 to Mexico boarder, Visa is not required till Ensenada. So we got up early and parked at boarder, walked into Mexico.

The scene was totally different after cross boarder. There were pharmacies everywhere. We walked to Avenida Revolucion, which is city center of Tijuana. Hotel Caesar’s is just right here.

July 4th, 1924. (Same inpendent’s day!!) There were lots of tourists, crowded in hotel for celebration (I thought they were there for FUN !) The chef, Caesar Cardini, born in Italy. Utilized rest material in his kitchen. Then the tableside-serviced salad was incredibly popular afterward. Then Mr. Caesar made it a standard, mass production, bottling industrial dressing. Now many people know this sauce world-wide. Even the mean French criticized the recipe as the few good US recipes since 50 years from now. Ironically the recipe was from an Italian….

First time I heard of this story was from Julia Child’s book and she probably was among those few people who really ate the salad from Caesar Cardini. According to Julia’s book, authentic Caesar salad needs to be prepared at table side and make the dressing step-by-step. I had made the Caesar salad following Julia’s recipe and it was delicious, light and flavorful.

The historical Hotel Caesar’s had been closed and remodeled. The remodeled restaurant was smaller yet looked old. It didn’t look like a place for gourmet. However salsa and tortilla chips were the first surprise. The salsa was mixed with finely minced tomato, lime, jalapeno and onion. It tasted clean and fresh, much better than those “US salsa”. We waited a while for waiter and his service cart. Yes he used only Romaine lettuce heart, neatly lay on plate. Then he started to make salad dressing – meshed anchovies, added olive oil, minced garlic. Then dropped lime juice, red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. He cracked eggs and kept yolk, added parmesan powder then stirred all together to be yellow and thick dressing. Sprinkled crouton and volia!

This kind of Caesar salad, tasted good, he used cheap Kraft parmesan powder but the Romaine lettuce was sweet yet fresh, even the lettuce edged were carefully trimmed.

Chicken a la Florentine, “a la Florentine” was usually done with spinach. The pan-fried chicken breast was tossed with spinach and cream sauce. The chicken was well-done but not dry, it was good for the sauce.

to be continued ...

Caesar’s Salad, Story and My Mexico trip (1)

2006-08-18T09:36:00.000+08:00

New KougyoKu (finish)

2006-07-31T00:16:00.000+08:00

Mini eggplant, guessed the function was like sorbet in French cuisine

We also had some seaweed to refresh, then a nigri w/ slightly grilled fish, this method is called “Yakishimozukuri”.

Uni Gun Kan Maki – Gunkan maki is the most popular way to make uni nigri. This sushi was using the sea urchin from Kyushu. Usually I had sea urchin from Hokkaido or Canada, this is the first time I tasted the Kyushu sea urchin

Then I asked Ken San to give me some nigri with more “knife work” (I guessed he must hate me then)

Ika nigri, carefully made cuts on ika, poured hot water, then the ika would have curls

Tori Gai (bird clam), I had read a comic describing how difficult to deal it with, because it will make the chopping board black.

Azi nigri, typical serving method is to put minced chives and ginger and drop pontzu sauce. Kougyoku’s azi nigri’s fish is thicker but I personally prefer "Sushi Yak’s" style which cut it carefully.

Marinated maguro (tuna) nigri, this is typical “Tokyo” way

I saw next table order Tamago sushi, so I asked Ken to serve us some, but he misunderstood, he thought we want Tamago only, so this was served—Tamago Tsumami

And this was the nigri sushi, what we wanted, very standard as my sushi book

I still felt something lacking, so here was finaly kick, fried “Kasago” fish, the flesh was chewy and full of gelatin.

It was about 9:30. all chefs started to clean the bar. We were eating the dessert, mocha ice cream and azuri beans, talking about desserts in Los Angeles. I take Ken’s phone number say goodbye to him.

Maybe we will have fried ice cream here next time!

Kougyoku (New)

2006-07-30T07:53:00.000+08:00

I had been to Kougyoku for many times, because one of my friends was their fan. And I knew Kougyoku opened the 2nd branch in March, but I don’t have time to visit. Thanks for my friend “Mr. Cooper” so I had chance to visit.

Kougyoku probably is among top 3 Japanese Cuisine in Taipei, their strength is “Material”, different than other famous Japanese Cuisine like “Yak Sushi” or “Honda”。 Kougyoko, owned by several successful CEOs’, therefore, they can serve Japanese food directly shipped from Japan head quarter.

Stairs (new Kougyoku is in B1)

Fountain

I brought my wine - Kistler Chardonnay 2002 Sonoma, it really tastes sweet with coconut flavor!

The chef leader is Ken Hsu, I knew him also long time ago, Ken San probably is the only Taiwanese chef whose “knife craft work” is same to most Japanese chefs.

So we start from appetizer – it is agar and sesame sauce

Usually we went to Kougyoku, would start from sashimi – sushi – hot dishes. Ken will serve sashimi as 3 slices, the first slice, tasted w/o adding anything, the 2nd slice, tasted w/ soy sauce, the 3rd slice, tasted w/ wasabi and soy sauce. With this way we can taste different flavor of fish.
Hirame Sashimi – although, it is not the very right season, it tastes fresh and bouncy!

Hamo is typical summer fish, it is kinda difficult to deal with. Because it is small and with many bones, the standard method is to cut the flesh and cut it with many slices (but not make disconnect), then put it immediately in ice water.
Kougyoku served it in traditional way – with sour plum sauce

then Shima Azi and the most famous hand-teared O-toro

If you have watched Japanese gourmet programs, probably you will see it. In Kougyoku, the chef remove the tendon tissues by hand, so you taste no hard tissues in O-toro.

Tachiuo! I asked Ken, it Is just July, how comes the Tachiuo – the oct. fish. He explains, it is the first batch. Suddenly I remember my “employee lunch”, how huge the difference is!

Marugai, also fresh. This “giant clam” is very popular in N. America and HK. I had tasted it in many ways.

Afer grilled fish and stir-fried dish, we start to have nigri

To be continued

PeiKing Roasted Duck in Lanting, Regent Formosa

2006-07-25T11:23:00.000+08:00

One day, my friend “Master Ju” had dinner with me in a Korean restaurant. Suddenly he came out an idea. “How about bring your camera and we can taste all good roasted ducks in Taipei”. Of course! It is such a good deal because Master Ju is famous gourmand, following him we can have “special”.

He called his friend Mandy, who is the service director in Regent Formosa Hotel, and set up the dinner appointment. Why Ju chose Lanting was because Lanting serves roasted duck with real PeiKing style. In Taipei, there are many restaurants selling roasted duck, however, mostly they are Cantonese style. The differences between Peiking and Cantonese roasted duck are – Peiking style needs to “feed the duck” like the way French people make foie gras, and when roasting, the chef pour water inside the duck, which creates the boiling effect. Cantonese roasted duck is different, it will be described later in another article.

The décor is nice in Lanting, combined Japanese, Chinese design and add on modern elements.

With beautiful Chinese calligraphy in glass, make lighting hallway

First, we had some cold appetizers

Szechuan Style Pork Salad

Using marbled pork (from pig cheek), boiled, sliced thin and on top of bean sprouts which were taken off head and root (they were called silver sprouts). If the flavor can be enhanced more by adding more Szechuan pepper, it will be good.

Sauteed Julienne PengHu Loufah and Chinese Wolfberry (Lycium chinensis)

Here they used PengHu Loufah, which is almost same as Cantonese species, with harder flesh so it can be made as juliennes. Some wolfberry decorated the dish. But we think it was too plain, without flavor.

Chef slicing the roasted duck- Table service

PeiKing Roasted Duck in Plate

How could I say? It is the most disappointment in the dinner….The duck roasted good, the skin was crispy, meat was juicy. But…they are not slices, they are chunks !! Each piece was about 1 cm thick.
And look the presentation, it is just like Cantonese duck rice. Peiking roasted duck should be sliced thin, carefully separated in round plate like a flower….

So I am blessing for the poor duck, Amen!

Steamed Whole-wheat Chinese Crepes

It seems like new fashion for using whole-wheat Chinese crepe accomplish the roasted duck. The sauce is good though

Steamed Fish with Scallion Juliennes

Typical HongKong style, red snapper steamed just about medium (can’t be well-done cause the flesh will be hard!) and finally topping the scallion juliennes, poured the fish sauce made by hot oil, soy sauce and stock. Then the hot sauce will cook the fish to finish)

Mango and Coconut flavored Konjac, Dark Sugar Syrup

Using “Ai-Wen” Mango, but not very sweet, maybe ripe mango is too soft to cut like the way shown in photo. The konjac tasted interesting, I guess this dessert’s inspiration is from Japanese “ Kuro tou katsu nagashi”(Jelly made by allowroot starch with black sugar sauce) .

Taiwan Local Gourmet (1)

2006-07-05T14:36:00.001+08:00

A small yet delicious restaurant, has just opened for 2 years. Although it was Sunday, there was crowded.
Should recommend their “stinky tofu”—homemade, marinated by local herbs. It was crispy outside yet tender inside. If you bite it, the juice “explodes”

Pork & plum stew noodle is also recommended, it is very easy mistaken as beef noodle. The pork chunk looks like beef flank.

BTW, they also made their own noodle.

“King” Restaurant
No 642, Sec2 Tatung Rd
Tainan, Taiwan
886-6-3362660

Pearl King is different than other shops which using big “boba”. Pearl king makes their sweet soup with small, old-fashioned pearl which is softer and not harden quickly. Their bean curd flower is truly made by gypsum not by agar, so we can taste the real “soy bean flavor”. The syrup is also homemade by mixing with different sugar.

However I will recommend their peanuts. Peanut requires 7~8 hour slow stew to make it soft. No additive, no chemicals, Pearl king serves real, old-fashion but sincere sweet soup.

Pearl King
No 295 ChungYuan Rd
HsinChuang, Taipei County
886-2-2991-0812

Spinach and Two Cheeses Ravioli, Simple Truffle Cream Sauce

2006-06-27T10:52:00.000+08:00

Ravioli is not a common dish in Italian restaurant here, it takes time for making those little stuffs, you may see some dried one, or imported one in supermarkets. Believe me, they are just for throwing. The real tasty ravioli is using homemade pasta sheets with homemade filling. I am wondering why there are ravioli’s sister “dumpling” everywhere but very difficult to find it.

Thanks for the new technology, with the motored pasta machine, I made several sheets of pasta very quickly. The ravioli filling was pre-made, which is multifunctional. Last time I was using it as the stuffing for roast lamb chop. I will suggest not to make this stuffing at same day, or when you finish all the work and only see a plate of ravioli, it is very disappointed.

Ravioli filling – spinach and two cheeses
1. Clean 2 bunches of spinach, wash, dry and only keep leaves, discard stems. Chop spinach to small pieces.
2. In fry pan, dry-heat chopped bacon, add chopped onion then spinach, add a little bit salt, cover for a while. Turn spinach and fry till it soft.
3. Remove spinach and bacon/onion from pan, discard the juice, wait for cooling.
4. Add 300g goat cheese and 100g grated pecorino-romano.

Pasta-sheets- refer to user manual of pasta machine.
Brushing pasta sheet with a little bit of water, spoon some filling on 5x5 cm center, covered with the other sheet, pushing carefully to remove the air. Cut the pasta with serrated rolling cutter. Then the ravioli is done.

Simple white truffle cream sauce.
1. Melt butter and shallot, fry to have flavor.
2. Pour cream and concentrate, grated some pepper and salt. Add to taste.
3. When it is thick enough, add white truffle oil and grated pecorino.

*Photos were taken by Yellowsand in other party

Going to Shanghai Restaurant to Eat "SzeChuan Cuisine" ?!

2006-06-26T12:43:00.000+08:00

Sincerely speaking, I don't like to make friends of chefs. It is because I like to tell the truth. Going to eat, spending my money, then, give exact critics is my hobby. Of course, I know if i can make friends of chefs, I can get better service or special treat, however I don't believe I will get excellent performance based on most chef's talent.

However, I will never regret to know the owner of ShangHai Restaurant, Feng. Cuz if you have chance to taste the dishes he carefully cooks, you will know what is “Wonderful”.

One day, my friend Frank Ju, who is the great gourmand author, we had dinner in ShangHai restaurant, suddenly I came out an idea to ask Feng makes some Szechuan dishes, cuz I know he can make it. After my “bagging” yet “asking” He promised to make some Szechuan dishes.

Therefore, here they are

Couple’s Deli
The story began in Szechuan, An young couple created this dish, by mixing beef and beef stomach, because it is red and white, looks colorful.

"Water-boiled" Snapper
It is not real boiled by water. In fact, this is a very spicy dish. Usually this was done by cooking fish fillets with red chili oil, but Feng made it with whole red snapper! A fresh snapper carefully de-boned, just keep the flash and head. Very delicate work.

Drunken Crab
This is a famous ShangHai dish, by marinating live crab into rice wine….make it drunk!

Crab with Eggs "Flower"

"Chi" lettuce and Bamboo Shoot

Sea Cucumber Stewed with Shrimp Roe

Chinese Alcohol

“Water boiled” Beef
I think this dish can be added more Szechuan pepper to enhance the flavor

Dried Eel Cooked with Pork Intestine and Chicken

Small Taro

Crisp Pastry with Daikon Filling

Fish Belly

Different than Cantonese style, Shanghai style is to reconstitute dried fish belly with oil, whic provide more texture for sauce attachment

Those are dishes specially cooked for friends, No one can buy it or taste it anywhere else, because, friendship is priceless.

Bravo Feng! It is so WONDERFUL to have a great chef as my friend.

Test

2006-06-26T11:34:00.000+08:00

This is first post of this blog. This blog is created for my friends who read/write mainly in English.