Fried Rice Restaurant Style and Honey Walnut Shrimp

My mother doesn't cook, but my grandmother definitely cooks, a lot, and all day long; you have to when you're feeding a family of eight. My Oma cooks Indonesian food because that's where she grew up, although we are Chinese. Unfortunately, I have not had the pleasure of learning how to cook from her, so I kind of have to wing it on my own when I want to eat dishes reminiscent of my childhood.


This is definitely not my Oma's nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice) which is sweet from the kecap manis and has chicken, pork, and sometimes shrimp. Deviating from the familiar fried rice that I grew up eating, I used the Fried Rice Restaurant Style recipe that I found on AllRecipes and altered that recipe even further by using brown rice and cooking it in vegetable broth. Although the recipe takes about half an hour from start to finish, I cook the rice the night before and then refrigerate it overnight to prevent the rice from getting soggy. From making this dish several times, I learned that using freshly cooked rice to make fried rice leads to clumpy and unevenly seasoned fried rice because of the moisture content of the fresh cooked rice. I love making fried rice because the dish is incredibly forgiving; you can put anything into it and it will usually turn out pretty good. In the version above, I tossed in whatever frozen vegetables happened to be in the freezer at the time, a crushed garlic clove, and an egg or two. Also, precise measurements aren't terribly necessary, as adding soy sauce and sesame oil is best to personal taste. Sesame oil is very potent in flavor, so I only add a very light drizzle at the end to provide flavor rather than using it to actually stir-fry the rice.


Okay, so my Oma never made Walnut Shrimp because it's a Chinese dish commonly found in Western-influenced and Hong Kong restaurants. In any case, I thoroughly enjoy Walnut Shrimp, which was not so good for my health when I worked at a Chinese restaurant during high school. So as I planned our weekly menu, I figured, "What would go better with the Fried Rice Restaurant Style than Honey Walnut Shrimp from AllRecipes?" I am not sure that the Walnut Shrimp I enjoyed while working through high school were battered and fried, but I decided to follow the recipe on my first attempt to make Honey Walnut Shrimp. The batter in the recipe was extremely thick and I think I went a little dunk-happy, so the fried crust was almost as thick as some of the smaller shrimp. The next time I make this recipe, I might just lightly dust the shrimp in mochiko flour or forgo the batter entirely to enjoy the full flavor of the shrimp and to make this very rich dish somewhat more healthy. Additionally, I don't particularly enjoy Walnut Shrimp that is too sweet, so I will cut in half the amount of honey that the recipe calls for. The creamy, mayonnaise-based sauce seems strange paired with shrimp, but I can never resist ordering it whenever I see it on a menu.

Gulf Coast Grill

As a native San Diegan, it has become a tradition for me to attend the Earth Day festival held every April at Balboa Park (an indication of how backlogged are my posts). Since I moved to Orange County four years ago to attend UCI, the Earth Day festivities have extended to the night before the fair, allowing me the opportunity to catch up with my friends in San Diego. This year, we stayed with friends who live in North Park and they suggested we try a restaurant they had heard positive reviews about.


Gulf Coast Grill offers fare that has "Louisiana roots, California style" and offers happy hour nightly from 4:30pm to 6:30pm. We decided to heavily partake in Gulf Coast Grill's happy hour because of the half-price appetizers and drinks and because our friends only live a block away from the restaurant.


A forgettable sliced roll and mini cornbread muffins were immediately set on our table when we were seated. I was eager to try the cornbread muffins, but they ended up being flavorless and kerneless.


With many of their regular appetizers half-priced for happy hour, I figured it was okay to order everything I wanted to try rather than limit ourselves. The warm Cornmeal Crusted Brie was served with toasted baguette slices and a lightly dressed mixed green salad. The salty brie was soft enough to spread on the baguette slices and was complimented by the sweetness of the candied pecans. Brie is one of my favorite cheeses and I really enjoyed the medley of flavors and textures, the sweetness paired with the saltiness, and crunch paired with the soft cheese.


The Sweet Corn Hushpuppies were freshly fried and served with a creamy house remoulade sauce. The balls of cornmeal were fried to a dark brown and biting into the crisp shell revealed a soft interior with a hint of spice. I especially enjoyed mopping up the slightly spicy and tangy remoulade sauce with the fluffy hushpuppies.


Also served with the house remoulade sauce were their Fried Oysters. The oysters were first coated in cornmeal and then deep fried. The cornmeal crust provided a hearty crunch that contrasted with the meltingly soft oysters within. I was surprised that the oysters retained their moisture and brine through the deep fry process, rather than dripping with grease from their hot oil bath.

Luckily for me, some of my dining companions had an aversion to seafood, so after a taste of the oysters went around the table, I was left with three and a half large fried oysters to myself. I was able to make a meal of the appetizers while my dining companions shared the rather large entrees.

Gulf Coast Grill
4130 Park Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92103
610-295-2244

Spinach Quiche and Roasted Brussels Sprouts

When I found this recipe for Spinach Quiche on AllRecipes, I anticipated that it would taste very similar to spanakopita, one of my favorite Greek foods.


The quiche had the requisite ingredients of spinach and feta that are found in traditional spanakopita, but was missing the crisp phyllo dough of true spanakopita. Even with the 6 ounces of feta and 8 ounces of cheddar cheese this recipe requires, the bitterness of the spinach was very prominent. I love spinach, but it seemed the ratio of spinach to eggs was too high, even though I used a deep-dish pie crust. I would have preferred more egg flavor and texture, as the egg only seemed to present itself as a thin layer on the top of the quiche.


My family never ate brussels sprouts as I grew up, so when I saw them at the grocery store, I was enchanted by their cute appearance; they look like miniature heads of lettuce! I love lettuce! Additionally, the recipe for Roasted Brussels Sprouts that I found on AllRecipes had great reviews, so I scoffed at the tales I had heard of children and adults alike hating brussels sprouts. Lo and behold, they are actually quite bitter, even roasted, but the very roasted pieces that bordered on being completely burned were quite tasty. They tasted similar to slightly burned potato chips, the little gems that I search for on the occasion that we have a bag of potato chips.


Unfortunately, it will be awhile before I try my hand at making brussels sprouts again, especially when there are so many other vegetables that I already know I prefer. I don't think Devin would like me to try making another spinach quiche, but if I did, I would reduce the amount of spinach and increase the amount of egg so that it tastes like an actual quiche instead of spinach pie.

Pierre Herme

As we neared the end of our stay in Paris, our diet had consisted wholly of baguettes, sandwiches, croissants, crepes (not pictured because it was pouring rain when we bought them), pita sandwiches, madaleines, and yogurt, but I was holding out to purchase chocolates and macarons from the best.


Pierre Herme is arguably the best pastry chef in the world and we finally made it to his patisserie an hour before they closed, on our last day in Paris. Talk about close call, but I was able to get everything I came for and more.


There are two Pierre Herme pastry shops in Paris, one in the center of the city which I have heard gets quite crowded, and the other a bit farther from the center and not as crowded. On our way to pick up gifts to bring back home, we stopped at the Pierre Herme on Rue Vaugirard which was brightly lit and cheerful with its orange and yellow counters.


I admit that I was afraid the salespeople would be pretentious about the fine products they sell and scoff at my faltering French language skills. On the contrary, the young gentleman who helped me was extremely pleasant (probably because of the large quantity of expensive goods I was purchasing) and very patient as I asked several questions and surveyed the delicacies on display. My experience at the pastry shop was so welcoming that as soon as I stepped outside, I decided I needed even more chocolates and macarons, since I wasn't sure the next time I would return to Paris. The young gentleman assisted me again when I immediately reentered the shop and this time gave me two free macarons, one for myself and one for Devin.


Pierre Herme pays strict attention not only to his edible treats, but to the presentation of his shops and the packaging, which were both elegant in their simplicity.


The chocolates melted very smoothly in my mouth. They are delicate and chocolate is the forefront flavor, unlike cheap chocolates which rely on sugar to deliver some remnant of flavor. When the chocolate first hit my tongue, there was a cool sensation, even though the chocolates were never refrigerated. A lot of the chocolates are raspberry or strawberry flavored, making them quite tart. They're very delicate and some of the best chocolates that I have eaten.


Macarons are very delicate cookies consisting of two meringue wafers sandwiching a ganache filling. Biting into the fragile meringue wafer of Pierre Herme's macarons gave way to intensely flavored cookies which were lightly sweetened by the ganache filling. Similar to the chocolates from Pierre Herme, the macarons relied on the fine ingredients to provide flavor instead of relying on massive doses of sugar.


These are what the macarons looked like after carrying them from Paris, back home to Tustin. The flavors include: chocolate, vanilla, pistachio, passion fruit, vanilla olive oil, salted caramel, ispahan (rose, lychee, and raspberry), and rose.

I was very excited to try the vanilla olive oil macaron and was surprised to find a salty olive in the middle of the macaron. The flavor was quite unexpected and I'm still not sure that olives belong in desserts.


This is Pierre Herme's signature creation, the ispahan. His ispahan macaron consists of rose flavored meringue cookies with lychee cream and raspberry jelly.


Rose flavor can sometimes be overwhelmingly floral, but the rose meringue cookies lightly hinted of rose flavor. The tartness of the raspberry jelly was cut by the sweet lychee cream. The combination of flavors complimented each other well and from the care that Pierre Herme puts into his creations, it is no wonder he is at the top of the pastry world.

Unfortunately, our trip to Paris ends bitterly because I was supposed to receive the security deposit back from the apartment owners almost two months ago and I am still waiting for it. Both she and Lodgis, the company I used to find the apartment, have been ignoring my requests for the security deposit to be returned. So it is with haste that I prepared this final post on our trip to Paris because I don't want to think about the way I have been cheated out of a very much needed sum of money.

Pierre Herme
185 Rue Vaugirard
75015 Paris, France

La Croissanterie

After a rainy day visiting Versailles Palace, we were enchanted by the colorful array of sandwiches showcased at La Croissanterie.


La Croissanterie is a chain of cafes found primarily throughout France, with locations also in Portugal, Ireland, and Italy. They offer sandwiches, croissants, teas, coffee, pastries, and cakes, and provide a warmly-lit place to stop and rest after a busy day. There are indoor and outdoor dining areas and there is also a to-go window. Many of their menu items are made ahead of time, so service is very quick and efficient.


I had the Oceanique sandwich because I was lured by the poppy seed encrusted baguette. This marine-themed sandwich had thin slices of smoked salmon, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, and dill weed. After sitting in the case, the baguette was gummy and a bit soggy, but the poppy seeds helped the sandwich maintain some crunch. The dill cut the saltiness of the salmon and the tangy mayonnaise helped blend the flavors together. The Oceanique had many flavors that complimented each other and was pretty good for a premade sandwich.


The Campagnard was made on ciabatta bread and had ham, tomatoes, eggs, lettuce, Swiss cheese, and mayonnaise. Devin really enjoyed the addition of eggs on this sandwich.

La Croissanterie
168 St. Germain
75006 Paris, France

Haagen Dazs Vanilla Honey Bee

Although I am not finished with my series of Paris posts, I wanted to mention how good I felt about the last pint of Haagen Dazs ice cream that I ate, not only because it lasted five days (instead of the usual hour to an hour and a half), but because purchasing one of Haagen Dazs' "Honey Bee-dependent Flavors" helps fund honeybee research.


Honeybees help pollinate about 30% of the fruits and vegetables that we eat. Additionally, they help pollinate the foods that are fed to the animals which many people eventually eat. Unfortunately, honeybees are quickly vanishing in large numbers due to what scientists call Colony Collapse Disorder. The problem is particularly mystifying because the honeybees are simply vanishing; honeybee keepers afflicted by the disorder simply open their hives to find them absent of worker bees.

Haagen Dazs has a vested interest in maintaining the honeybee population because their products are made from all natural flavors, many derived from fruits pollinated by honeybees. In addition to their line of "Honey Bee-dependent Flavors", Haagen Dazs has donated $250,000 to both Pennsylvania State University and the University of California, Davis to fund honeybee research, particularly the Colony Collapse Disorder.

Purchasing select Haagen Dazs flavors won't just make you feel good about your contribution towards honeybee and sustainable pollination research, but you'll feel good about ingesting something quite delicious too. I picked up the Vanilla Honey Bee Haagen Dazs flavor and while I am used to the heavy swirls of ingredients found in many novelty ice creams, I was deceived into thinking the ice cream would taste mostly of vanilla with little honey flavor.

The Haagen Dazs Vanilla Honey Bee ice cream is white in color, but a single spoonful has intense honey flavor. The amount of honey is mellow enough to still taste the pure vanilla that Haagen Dazs uses. I am an economic shopper, but luckily Haagen Dazs was recently on sale at the grocery store. Unlike the other ice creams I usually purchase, I didn't have to use my spoon as an ice pick because the Haagen Dazs remained soft and creamy the five days that it lasted. Although the smooth texture was largely due to the fat content of the total six ingredients (cream, skim milk, honey, egg yolks, sugar, natural vanilla), this was a very worthy splurge financially, health wise, and especially environmentally.

Banette

To get to the Metro from our apartment, we passed this boulangerie, so it quickly became our stop to grab some breakfast on the way to see the sights.


Banette is actually situated right in front of a Metro stop (Cardinal Lemoine), so it was often quite busy when we stopped in. We noticed that the busier a boulangerie, the better the goods.


The baguettes here are very long and narrow. I often had to break the baguette into three pieces to get it to a manageable size where I wasn't jousting people as I walked down the street. The baguettes have a delicate and thin crust that easily tears to reveal soft and fluffy innards. Compared to the baguettes from Eric Kayser though, this baguette was just air.


Alongside the baguettes, croissants are a staple found at boulangeries. When my eye caught an almond croissant at Banette, I made an executive decision to forgo the plain croissant I was going to get and instead try their croissant aux amandes. The first thing I noted about this croissant is its shape. Plain croissants have beautiful lines as they spiral inward, but this croissant was lumpy and had no defining lines. I might not have known it was a croissant except for the small sign in the pastry case. But do not be deceived by its exterior, as a treasure lies within! As I was handed my almond croissant, the second thing I noticed was the weight. This was a hefty croissant, heavy from the almond filling. The almond croissant was very moist and instead of the airy layers of dough found in plain croissants, this croissant was filled with a sweet almond paste whose nutty flavor went well with the buttery dough. It was a luscious treat that we tried to savor, but as all good eats, it was quickly devoured.


In the deli case, I saw a variety of meat sandwiches, so I asked the woman helping me whether she had any vegetarian sandwiches available. She offered to make me a sandwiche de crudites, to which I happily agreed. Before our trip, I was afraid that I would have trouble requesting vegetarian meals, but the woman helping me was very accommodating and I waited as she went in the back to make me a vegetarian sandwich. The sandwich that I later unwrapped had lettuce, tomatoes, and boiled eggs, which aren't necessarily vegetarian-friendly, but luckily I subscribe to a very liberal vegetarian diet and eat eggs in addition to dairy and fish. The creamy egg yolks acted as a condiment to flavor and moisten the sandwich. Although with its total of four ingredients this was a minimalist sandwich, it was made with flavorful vegetables and freshly baked bread, making for a great sandwich.


On a visit the next day, I again requested a vegetarian sandwich and was given a camembert sandwich. Like the crudite sandwich of the previous day, this sandwich had few ingredients, this time only slices of soft camembert and a baguette. The plain baguette was the perfect vehicle upon which to enjoy the creamy and slightly salty camembert.


It's good fortune that the first macaron to grace my tastebuds was one that I enjoyed as we walked through the Tuileries Garden towards the Louvre. The French macaron is not to be confused with the coconut macaroon that is very familiar in the United States, as this macaron consists of ganache encased between two meringue cookies. The fragile exterior of the meringue cookies gave way to a vibrant green interior that was moist and very sweet. Accompanied by the thin layer of pistachio ganache, this macaron was pretty tooth-achingly sweet. It had a nutty flavor that was only background to the heavy amount of sugar.

Banette
46 Rue Cardinal Lemoine
75005
Paris, France