06.22.09
Posted in dessert, food, home cooking at 2:03 am by wingerz
It’s impossible to resist summer peaches. They smell incredible and are impossibly juicy - Amy and I both agreed that the only real way to enjoy one is gobbling it up over the sink.
The recipe recommends firm peaches. Don’t even attempt this recipe if you have soft peaches because they will destroy you twice - once when you’re trying to peel the peaches (I didn’t feel like blanching them because it’s summer and I didn’t want to boil a ton of water and prep an ice bath), and again when you try to remove the seed and slice them.
I mixed two white peaches in with the yellow, and threw a few blueberries on top. I also only used 3/4 of the amount of sugar recommended since my peaches were fantastic.
Peach Shortcake
from Cook’s Illustrated
Fruit
2 pounds ripe but firm peaches (4 to 5 medium), peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick wedges
6 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons peach schnapps
Biscuits
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon table salt
2/3 cup buttermilk , cold
1 large egg
8 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly
Whipped Cream
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. For The Fruit: Gently toss three-quarters of peaches with 4 tablespoons sugar in large bowl. Let stand 30 minutes. Toss remaining peaches with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and schnapps in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high power until peaches are bubbling, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, stirring twice during cooking. Using potato masher, crush peaches into coarse pulp. Let stand 30 minutes.
2. For The Biscuits: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. While peaches macerate, whisk flour, baking powder, 1 tablespoon sugar, and salt in large bowl. Whisk together buttermilk and egg in medium bowl; add melted butter and stir until butter forms small clumps.
3. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir with wooden spoon until dough comes together and no dry flour remains. Continue stirring vigorously for 30 seconds. Using greased 1/3 cup dry measure, scoop up mound of dough and drop onto parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet (if dough sticks to cup, use small spoon to pull it free). Repeat with remaining dough, spacing biscuits about 1 1/2 inches apart, to create 6 biscuits. Sprinkle remaining tablespoon sugar evenly over top of biscuits. Bake until tops are golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 15 minutes before assembling.
4. For The Whipped Cream: Using hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat cream, sugar, and vanilla on low speed until bubbles form, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium; continue beating until beaters leave trail, about 30 seconds longer. Increase speed to high; continue beating until nearly doubled in volume and whipped cream forms soft peaks, 30 to 45 seconds longer.
5. To Assemble: Split each biscuit in half and place bottoms on individual serving plates. Spoon portion of crushed peach mixture over each bottom, followed by peach slices and any exuded juices. Top peaches with 2 tablespoons whipped cream, cap with biscuit top, and dollop each shortcake with some of remaining whipped cream. Serve immediately.
Permalink
06.20.09
Posted in basketball, personal, sports at 12:08 pm by wingerz
Over the past week I’ve been going through basketball withdrawal. There was a playoff game on just about every night for the past two months, and, much to Jen’s chagrin, I watched parts of just about all of them. I’ve been obsessing over the Lakers more than usual this season. This year started full of promise: it was last year’s finals team with the size of Bynum, the energy of Ariza, and extra motivation from the fresh taste of bitterness from the previous year. A few random highlights from the playoff run…
It all comes down to execution. Both Denver and Orlando had mental lapses down the stretch in their close losses, and the Lakers were able to capitalize. In both series, around game 4, the opposing team felt like they were playing well enough to be up in the series, but neither closed out close games. Seeing the Lakers, with their insane number of options, execute their offense well is a thing of beauty. Their defense still isn’t perfect, but it came together at the right time (and it really helped that Orlando’s point guard situation was in shambles).
Redemption for the Lakers. Pretty much the entire starting lineup (plus Lamar Odom, minus Trevor Ariza) has come under fire over the past two seasons. It’s been great to see them all have incredible playoff moments.
The front line is ridiculous. In a league without a lot of great centers, it’s great to have Pau and Bynum. I think Bynum’s ready to have a big, injury-free year next year. Gasol has been a workhorse all season long, putting in a ton of minutes and delivering consistently. And it’s still amazing for me to see Odom leading the break, making nifty moves around the basket, and draining 3s.
Kobe is good. Maybe he isn’t the most fun guy to play with, but you can’t argue with his drive, skill, talent, or ability to motivate the players around him. His work ethic is raising the quality of play across the NBA. His talent doesn’t give him a sense of entitlement; he’s still working harder than any other player out there.
I love Trevor Ariza. The guy made big play after big play all season long. He became a deadly 3-pt shooter. He’s got a cute kid. It still blows my mind that he only made 4 3-pters in his NBA career before this season.
The economy matters. Teams were making salary-driven moves during the season, and the downturn could affect the market value of free agents. I’m still hoping that Kobe is willing to come down a bit so that there’s enough money to sign Ariza or Odom.
Ariza or Odom? I think it’s really tough to give up either guy. If forced to choose, I think we keep Odom, even though he’s older. His combination of talent and size is so unique, and he is an incredible team player. Plus can’t Kobe just teach the whole team how to shoot 3s? I’m kidding. I’d love to have them both back.
Stepping up. The leadership and motivation of the team was called into question on several occasions in the playoffs. Still not really sure how Houston took us to 7 games. You’d think that this would never be an issue, but seeing the lapses really highlights how easy it is to momentarily lose focus.
This one feels good. So many fantastic storylines this season. Really happy that it ended this way, and I’m looking forward to next season!
Permalink
06.01.09
Posted in dessert, food, home cooking at 12:55 am by wingerz
It’s impossible to wander through the farmer’s market and not be tempted by the beautiful red berries. I was thinking of making this last week but didn’t have enough berries to do it. Got around to it this evening. This recipe is a bit labor-intensive, but I’d almost certainly make it again because it was delicious. It packs a powerful berry punch and has a nice texture. We may need to invest in some cute glasses to serve it in.
Note that the berry-jello needs to be left in the refrigerator for a while to set. The recipe says 2 hours but I got it down to less than 1 by putting two of those (soap-bar-sized) frozen blue-ice things each into its own zip lock bag and then putting the bags into the mixture before refrigerating.
Berry Fool
from Cook’s Illustrated
2 quarts strawberries (about 2 pounds), washed, dried, and stemmed
1 pint raspberries (about 12 ounces), washed and dried (see note)
1/2 cup plus 4 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 Carr’s Whole Wheat Crackers , finely crushed (about 1/4 cup) (or graham crackers)
6 sprigs fresh mint leaves (optional)
1. Process 1 quart strawberries, 1/2 pint raspberries, and 1/2 cup sugar in food processor until mixture is completely smooth, about 1 minute. Strain berry puree through fine-mesh strainer into 4-cup liquid measuring cup (you should have 2 1/2 cups puree; reserve any excess for another use). Transfer 1/2 cup puree to small bowl and sprinkle gelatin over top; stir until gelatin is incorporated and let stand at least 5 minutes. Heat remaining 2 cups puree in small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to bubble, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in gelatin mixture until dissolved. Transfer gelatin-puree mixture to medium bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.
2. Meanwhile, chop remaining 1 quart strawberries into rough 1/4-inch pieces. Toss strawberries, remaining 1/2 pint raspberries, and 2 tablespoons sugar together in medium bowl. Set aside for 1 hour.
3. Place cream, sour cream, vanilla, and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in chilled bowl of stand mixer. Beat on low speed until bubbles form, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and continue beating until beaters leave trail, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to high; continue beating until mixture has nearly doubled in volume and holds stiff peaks, about 30 seconds. Transfer 1/3 cup whipped-cream mixture to small bowl and set aside.
4. Remove thickened berry puree from refrigerator and whisk until smooth. With mixer running at medium speed, slowly add two-thirds of puree to whipped-cream mixture; mix until incorporated, about 15 seconds. Using spatula, gently fold in remaining thickened puree, leaving streaks of puree.
5. Transfer uncooked berries to fine-mesh strainer; shake gently to remove any excess juice. Divide two-thirds of berries evenly among 6 tall parfait or sundae glasses. Divide creamy berry mixture evenly among glasses, followed by remaining uncooked berries. Top each glass with reserved plain whipped-cream mixture. Sprinkle with crushed crackers and garnish with mint sprigs, if using. Serve immediately.
Permalink
05.25.09
Posted in fish, food, home cooking at 12:10 pm by wingerz
Another tasty fish and salsa combination. The beer-battered fish is good enough to serve on its own. I substituted fresh tomato salsa for the diced tomatoes and sour cream for the chipotle mayonnaise.
Fish Tacos
from Cook’s Illustrated
4 - 5 cups vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup light-colored beer
2 pounds skinless cod , cut into 4- by 1-inch strips
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas or flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups recipe Chipotle Mayonnaise
3 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
1 1/2 cups diced tomato
Lime wedges (for serving)
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Pour the oil into a large Dutch oven until it measures 1 inch deep. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 375 degrees.
2. Meanwhile, whisk the flour, salt, cumin, black pepper, and cayenne together in a large bowl. When the oil is almost ready, whisk the beer into the flour mixture until completely smooth.
3. Wrap a stack of corn or flour tortillas in foil and warm on a baking sheet in the 200-degree oven while frying the fish.
4. Pat the fish dry with paper towels. Add half the fish to the batter and stir gently to coat. Following the photo, use tongs to lift the pieces of fish from the batter, one at a time, allowing any batter to drip back into the bowl, and add to the hot oil.
5. Fry, stirring the fish gently to prevent the pieces from sticking together, until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
6. Remove the fried fish from the oil and let drain briefly on paper towels. Transfer the drained fish to a wire rack set over a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Return the oil to 375 degrees and batter and fry the remaining fish. Smear each of the warm tortillas with 2 tablespoons Chipotle Mayonnaise, then sprinkle with 1/4 cup lettuce and 2 tablespoons tomatoes. Add 1 piece of the fried fish to each tortilla and fold the tortilla over the fish. Serve with lime wedges.
Permalink
05.10.09
Posted in fish, food, home cooking at 10:52 pm by wingerz
Sometimes you just let the ingredients at the market determine what’s for dinner. Everything but the olive oil and kosher salt were from this morning’s visit to the farmer’s market. In general I’m not a huge fan of tuna but I was pretty happy with the way this turned out - the salsa is great, especially when made with good ingredients.
Seared Tuna with Peach Salsa
2 tuna steaks, about 1/2 lb each
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
kosher salt
1 tbsp oil
Peach Salsa
2 small peaches, diced
2 small tomatoes, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
1. Place the tuna in a ziplock bag with olive oil and 2tbsp lemon juice. Let it marinate for 1-2 hours. Right before cooking, take it out and sprinkle some kosher salt on both sides of the steaks.
2. Mix all of the salsa ingredients in a small bowl. Add more lemon juice/salt/pepper to taste.
3. Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet at high heat. Add 1 tbsp of oil to the skillet and wait until it smokes.
4. Place the tuna in the skillet. Flip it over in 1-3 minutes, depending on how much you want it to be cooked. I usually look at it from the side and flip when it looks like it’s cooked 1/4 to 1/3 of the way through. After flipping, let it cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Permalink
05.02.09
Posted in personal, photos at 10:58 pm by wingerz
A few weeks ago Jess and Cy came to visit on their spring break. It was great to hang out with them again, can’t believe it’s already been six months since I moved from Boston.
We decided to spend the weekend outdoors. On Saturday we drove down to Big Sur, stopping in Carmel to pick up a few sandwiches (from Bruno’s) for lunch. Unfortunately, all hiking trails east of Highway 1 were shut down because of a fire that swept through last year. We found a nice trail at Andrew Molera State Park (part of this trail), satisfying our thirst for adventure by crossing a shallow stream. Wrapped up the day with a fantastic dinner at Passionfish.
On Sunday we went sea kayaking in Monterey. We did a guided tour of the harbor, coming pretty close to some seals and sea lions (unfortunately, no sea otters).
A few more photos from the weekend.
Permalink
04.20.09
Posted in fish, food, home cooking at 1:14 am by wingerz
Between my traveling and some rainy Sundays it’s been a few weeks since I got fresh fish from the farmer’s market. Today I snagged a 1lb piece of halibut. Pan-roasted it and served it with a concoction of olive oil, butter, shallots, garlic, pine nuts, lemon juice, salt, pepper, basil, and parsley (sort of like this).
As with all fish, keep a close eye on it. There’s a very fine line between perfection and very slightly overdone. Mine was perfect, Jen’s was very slightly overdone. She should have said something before I gobbled up my piece.
Pan-Roasted Halibut Steaks
from America’s Test Kitchen
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 halibut steaks , each about 1 1/4 inches thick and 10 to 12 inches long (about 2 1/2 pounds total), gently rinsed, dried well with paper towels, and trimmed of cartilage at both ends
Table salt and ground black pepper
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. When oven reaches 425 degrees, heat oil in 12-inch, heavy-bottomed, ovenproof skillet over high heat until oil just begins to smoke, about 2 1/2 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, sprinkle both sides of both halibut steaks generously with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-high, swirl oil in pan to distribute; carefully lay steaks in pan and sear, without moving them, until spotty brown, about 4 minutes (if steak is thinner than 1 1/4 inches, check browning at 3 1/2 minutes; thicker steaks of 1 1/2 inches may require extra time, so check at 4 1/2 minutes). Off heat, flip steaks over in pan using two thin-bladed metal spatulas.
3. Transfer skillet to oven and roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into steaks reads 140 degrees, flakes loosen, and flesh is opaque when checked with tip of paring knife, about 9 minutes (thicker steaks may take up to 10 minutes). Remove skillet from oven and separate skin and bones from fish with spatula. Transfer fish to warm platter and serve immediately, with flavored butter or sauce (see related recipes), if desired.
Permalink
04.12.09
Posted in family, personal, photos, wedding at 12:46 pm by wingerz
My sister and I are separated by six years. Growing up I played the older-brother-as-caretaker role. Since our parents both worked, the two of us spent a lot of time together after school. I nudged her towards sharing some of my interests, like playing video games and basketball and taking care of rabbits. From an early age it was clear that she was a lot more talented artistically (musically and visually) than me; fortunately I was able to maintain my size advantage. We got along well throughout the years, only fighting occasionally.
It’s been hard for me to stop thinking of my little sister as little. A few milestones, like high school and college graduation, have helped me to shift my perspective. When I started at Endeca in 2007, I realized that some of my co-workers, fresh out of college, were exactly my sister’s age. That felt like a big deal.
* * *
Big brothers are supposed to look out for their little sisters, especially when it comes to boyfriends. I think it was less important for me to get involved since my sister is 3-4″ taller than Cameron and can almost certainly keep him in line. Too bad he doesn’t have an older brother to help him out. My dad vouches for the fact that Cameron is a math genius, which is a nice bonus. It’s been great getting to know him and his family over the past few years. The Taketas are a sweet, loving, and generous family.
* * *
Unfortunately, a huge storm swept through Honolulu on Friday night and lingered through Saturday morning. The wedding ceremony was moved indoors.
The Yungs, while not really known for their fashion sense (except for maybe Mom), clean up well. Wing Ning looked amazing in her dress and make-up (and without her glasses). It was amusing to tag along with the photographers, who posed the happy couple in all sorts of cheesy ways. The reception was full of personal touches - mini Rubik’s cubes as gifts, modular origami centerpieces, a wedding pie with a Lego wedding scene on top, and pi-decorated programs (all consistent with their wedding website). I was really impressed by the creativity and amount of work that they put into it - I’ve made a few of the origami balls and they take a hell of a long time (especially the one that consists of five intersecting tetrahedrons). Cameron’s hilarious Aunt Gwen mc’ed and repeatedly brought attention to the fact that most of the bridal party was single (and geeky).
My mom painted a picture, my dad picked out a Chinese poem to go along with it (and gave the commentary as part of his toast), and I put together a slideshow (they approved my selection of Weird Al’s White ‘n’ Nerdy for part of it). Each member of the bridal party made a toast with common themes around eating and playing board games.
* * *
After the wedding, we went to the beach and had dinner. Wing Ning was back in her t-shirt and jeans, but wore a green orchid in her hair for the rest of the day. Every time I looked at it I thought to myself, “Oh right, she’s married now.”
Permalink
03.22.09
Posted in family, personal at 11:38 pm by wingerz
I just passed over the 5-month anniversary of my move to California. Here’s what I’ve liked so far:
Closer to home. I’ve been down to Los Angeles four times since we moved here. That’s like 4 years worth of family visits! It’s also been great to see Jen’s family on a more regular basis.
Our friends. We’re lucky to have people from all over (high school, college, work, grad school) converge in the Bay Area. Of course we really miss everyone in Boston, especially our friends’ children.
Weather. I kind of miss the snow and I may be sad this fall, but it’s also been great to enjoy outdoor activities during the winter. I’ve received 5 Somerville snow emergency emails in the past few months.
No second car. Between walking and the Caltrain, things have worked out well. It’s nice to have some reading/nap time and physical activity built into my daily schedule.
Within walking distance of groceries. This made me way happier than I thought it would. The Sunday market and Trader Joe’s are an 8-minute walk away, which means that I don’t really have to plan meals for the week. When I was working from home half-time, I’d walk over there at least 2-3x a week.
Year-round farmer’s market. Fresh produce all year round! Our market has fish and meat as well.
New job. This was one of the last pieces to fall into place. I love Endeca (everything - the company, product, and team), but working remote over the past few months has been quite lonely. Started at Yelp last week.
Permalink
03.11.09
Posted in photos at 12:07 pm by wingerz
Stopped by Baylands Nature Preserve again yesterday after having lunch with friends at Topix. Took my binoculars along this time too.
As I was leaving, I saw a ring-necked pheasant. It was quite skittish but also didn’t make any effort to get away from me. Quite striking in its coloring.
More photos.
Permalink
« Previous entries
