red door cafe

Red Door Cafe is one of those restaurants you can only find in San Francisco.

[red door cafe]

It looks like your normal, tiny bodega. Until you start lining up outside and get a glance of the House Rules.

[the rules]

And yes there are many! The server/host is the enforcer of these rules, and he is absolutely hilarious! Like many popular places in the city, the wait was ridiculously long, and while they don't allow outside coffee while waiting, they do bring you out big mugs of coffee to keep you occupied. And of course, if you get bored, you can always review the rules. I was a little freaked out by the rule of "no lemon in your water" because it's "suburban"...I wondered if he would be able to tell that I lived in the ultimate suburb for 10 years! And as much as I love it here, I definitely miss Orange County when I see it on the Real Housewives. (sniffle).

When it's almost your turn to be seated, you have the honor of holding on to one of these:

[ken dolls]

Why Ken dolls? Why is one shirtless? And why is one in a knitted poncho? I have no idea! But I loved it!

If you can handle the wait, follow the rules and care for your Ken dolls, you will be rewarded with the most amazing breakfast! 

[french toast josephine]

It was perhaps the best french toast I've had!

Umami!

Whenever I think of the term umami, I immediately think of the unagi Friends episode. I don't know why! I don't even like eel!

So when I heard all this hoopla about Umami Burger in LA, I was kinda ehh. Fish + burger = yum? I like my In-N-Out just fine, thanks. It can't be beat! But as much as I love an In-N-Out burger, I have mixed feelings on the fries. It could be because they're all natural in veggie oil, and not surreptiously coated with beef flavor like the super tasty McDonald's fries. Fries are totally a burger's best friend, and In-N-Out deserves a better friend.

The tipping point that got me over to Umami Burger was when Maryn told me about their cheesy tater tots. And then she showed me a picture of their crispy golden deliciousness! That was it. I had to go...if only for the cheesy tater tots.

And it was so totally worth it! So crispy! So cheesy! It was seriously the most amazing burger side I've ever had. I'm really happy we shared this one...because I could've easily eaten 2 bowls of these!

This is the Manly Burger with smoky grilled onions and cheese! But I have to admit, the original Umami Burger was pretty hard to beat. That little Parmesan frico and homemade ketchup (!!) was beyond delicious. And the best part is that they make them small but chubby, so you feel like you're having a small burger. Which means you can have more cheesy tater tots.

For dessert, we had the salted caramel ice cream sandwich from Milk. OMG. I was expected just a little ice cream sandwich...not a macaron ice cream sandwich!! So much better! The macaron was light and chewy and the perfect cookie for an ice cream sandwich. I definitely had one of those "why didn't I think of this??" moments.

More Umami!

Naan

My first taste of Indian was several year ago at an Indian lunch buffet. And I mostly remember my fascination with the little triangular samosas and how at some point, I had an entire plate full of them and a few naan. My second round of Indian food came a few years later, and then a third, and fourth...and so many that I can't keep track. And I'm sure you know what happened next. No less than 3 Indian cookbooks have been added to the bookshelf, and little jars of cardamom and cumin seeds have been added to the spice drawer.

Yet despite all this guidance, I have consistently only produced mediorce Indian food. It's been a little crushing to my culinary ego. But that only means that I've been making the same things again, and again...and again. Luckily, my taste tester is polite enough to not complain about the Groundhog Day of Indian food around here. But finally, after 5 or so tries at naan, I think I got this one right!

Interesting enough, this is the only recipe I tried that was not a yeasted dough! Even the naan at the stores have yeast. (Yes, I checked!) This dough is hydrated with a generous dose Greek yogurt, which I think is what makes it so soft. The leavening is from baking soda and baking powder. The charred spots are from finishing right on the grates on the stove!

Finally! Success! So now the score is - Clarice: 1, Indian food: 10

I sense a comeback

SFMM

I'm not sure when it happened, but the weather has been perfectly awesome here. The days are long and warm and the sun is out when I leave for work and when I get home. This part of the year always makes me feel like the days really are longer, and I have more time. Which means more post-work walks to the store, rather than driving, which helps my tan and exercise routine!

The first decidely warm weekend we had was last weekend, and that also happened to be the weekend we all decided to haul up to Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia. I've actually never been there before...which isn't uncommon for someone who has a slight (slightly more than slight) fear of  fast-moving roller coasters. It's not that I can't go on them...I'm just the most annoying person to either wait in line with and to sit next to on the ride because I can't/won't shut up about how scared I am, and how high it is, and did you see that kid that just got off that looks like a wreck??? But finishing your MBA makes you do crazy things, and the next thing I knew, I was in line for Viper.

And then Jet Stream, Riddler, Superman and Tatsu.

I have to admit it was pretty amazing and fun! Especially Tatsu...even after a 2.5 hour wait! I was pretty shaken up after Viper, but I realized that closing my eyes immediately helped a lot. And the screaming. The first thing that really gets you when you enter the park is the how loud the roller coasters are as they zoom by you...and how tall they are...and loopy!! But I guess that's what makes them fun. It was just too bad that all the credit card machines broke, Superman broke and they ran out of turkey legs! But thank goodness there was funnel cake!

I honestly didn't think I was capable of such bravery!

Stuffed Pizza

My favorite part about pizza is the crust, specifically the crust baked with tomato sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. When I was little, my mom and I would go to this pizza place at Maui Mall, and I would proceed to rip off all the toppings and pile them on the side of my plate. After that place closed, Pizza Hut was my go-to pizza place. I know, I know...Pizza Hut? A little Hawaiian island isn't exactly bursting at the seams with pizza eateries. My mom didn't have her first slice of pizza until her 20's! I can't even imagine.

The thing I really like about Pizza Hut was the richness (read oil-laden) crust. I loved how it was crispy on the outside like a french fry, but soft on the inside. So you would think that it would be totally natural for someone with a pizza crust infatuation to gravitate towards Chicago pizza. I thought so, too! Until I triedone. In Chicago! I was at Uno's a notable pizza place in the city, and I found that Chicago pizza is really nothing like pizza at all. Sliced cheese? Provolone cheese? Sauce on top? I realize this may be pizza blasphemy, but it really wasn't for me.

I had pretty much sworn off all sort of Chicago style pizza until last weekend, when I was poking around the King Arthur website and I saw this recipe for Stuffed Pizza. I was quite dubious, but when I read that this pizza was in fact lidded...and then topped with sauce, I was completely sold. And even better, there was a plethora of commentors saying how it was not "authentic Chicago style pizza". Perfect!

The best part about the pizza was the assembly.

I know it seems like a lot...but this is supposed to make a 3 lb pizza!

Chicken sausage and onions

Spinach and tomatoes. At this point, I realized I forgot to put the cheese, which was supposed to be the second layer. Whoops!

Half pound of sliced mushrooms

Lidded and sauced! It somehow turned out to be 4 lbs!

It was so gooey and delicious! The crust was super tasty from the olive oil and semolina flour.

Only 2 lbs left to go!

It also is lovely as a cold pizza lunch!

Fun Fridge

Refrigeration has never looked so...green. And goopy. And so mesmerizing.

And the best part? It uses absolutely no electricity! The green goo suspends the food in its own little cubby and somehow keeps the food cool. Check it out here.



It's just a concept, but I'm pretty sure Judy Jetson would have one of these.

Garam Masala

I think of garam masala the same I do of teriyaki sauce. Everyone has their own way of making it. I like a splash of sake in my teriyaki sauce, but some people go with just sugar shoyu, or even add mirin. So when my little jar of my own mix of garam masala ran out, I was very anxious to try a new recipe.

I'm relatively new to the Indian cooking scene, so I have yet to settle on a garam masala that I really like. You could also buy ready made garam masala at the store, but that's like buying bottled teriyaki sauce. I could never.  The last time I mixed my garam masala, I took a shortcut and used pre-ground spices, but this time, I decided to use this recipe, and grind them myself.

The fact that I don't own a spice grinder did not deter me. Although, it should have.

I first had to get the little seeds out of the cardamom pods. I tablespoon worth.

How many cardamom pods = 1 tablespoon? Unknown. I stopped counting after 20. The jar was full before I got started.

Grinding spices my hand is pretty tough. Especially when you're using a mini mortar and pestle. But I guess it was a good workout.

The cumin was slightly easier. But it might have been the fact that I was already warmed up from the 10 minutes of cardamom smashing.

Luckily, I have no qualms with using ground cinnamon, and a few other spices later, I had my new jar of garam masala.

I know. It's like 2 tablespoons. Sigh. But it's just in time for tomorrow's Indian food experiment: biryani. Or bi-ri-yaaaaaa-niiiiii as I call it. Potato, potatoe. Yum! (I hope!)

Challah

Whether or not you're from Hawaii, you're probably very familiar with King's Hawaiian Sweet Bread. Perfect for snacking, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and my personal favorite, french toast. The name "Hawaiian sweet bread" is a bit of a misnomer because the bread is actually Portugese in origin. Pao Doce is the original sweet bread and is made at a few bakeries, but my favorite is from Leonard's on Oahu. It's pillowy soft and rich and slightly sweet.

I've searched around for recipes for sweet bread, but haven't found one compelling enough to try. And I couldn't think of anyone who makes sweet bread who I could ask for the recipe. I mean, there was my 4th grade teacher Mrs. Lung, but I think it was her grandma that did the baking. So when I saw this recipe for challah, a Jewish egg bread, it looked close enough. Eggs, sugar and a shiny brown top.

All the eggs, water and oil make for a very soft dough. Speaking of eggs, I read the recipe wrong and added all 5 eggs to the dough, only to find out later that I was supposed to reserve one for the egg wash. Whoops! That's why they tell you to read recipes through before baking. Sigh.

Sticky doughs can sometimes be tricky, but it just means that it will result in a soft bread. At least that's what I tell myself every time I try to unstick the dough from in between my fingers.

Squidy bread legs. Now here comes the tricky part...braiding. I can't even braid my own hair all that well! And that's only 3 strands. It felt like I was back in 5th grade May Day with the May Pole.

Soooo...of the 4 little loaves, 2 were braided and made into rounds...and 2 were well, just loaves. As you can see, I took some liberties with the braiding.

But they baked up great! The shiny brown crust was no doubt due to the double coating of egg wash.

Sliced! These slices are parked in my freezer for weekend French toast.

Challah is slightly heavier than Portugese sweet bread, and with a more distinct crust, but it is definitely delicious. This week's peanut butter and jelly sandwiches just got a litle bit better.

Doughnut Plant

Of all the things I wish I did in New York, a trip to Doughnut Plant might just top my list. I love love doughnuts. I never grew up eating them, except on special occasions. The best doughnuts on Maui are from Komoda Bakery, which is alllll the way Upcountry. And it's so super popular that you have to beat the crowds before they sell out of their butter rolls, cocoa puffs, and of course their old fashioned doughnuts (cake kind) and stick doughnuts, my personal favorite! Needless to say, my mom wasn't big on crowds or getting up early to haul up the volcano, so it was definitely an exciting day when we did get Komoda's.

So when I came across Doughnut Plant during some New York research, my tummy was fluttering with excitement. But when it finally came down to it, it was all the way in the East Village, and we were somewhere on Park, which, if my math is correct, was maybe a $15 cabbie ride for doughnuts. I just couldn't justify it. And with so many other good things to eat, I was hardly heartbroken. But when we left, I definitely felt a little doughnut void.

You can only imagine my excitement, when I came home, and saw this!

Mmmm!!!

4 doughnuts! Strawberry, Pisatchio, Coconut and Creme Brulee!

The Coconut was the runaway favorite for me. It was filled with a deliciously light coconut cream that I just adored. But they were all amazing! Even after a plane ride!



Even Homer approves!

Rainbow Cake

Even though today is St. Patty's, my office is having a potluck tomorrow. Go figure. I signed up to bring these adorable little mushroom tartlets a few weeks ago, but during my nightly online food stalking this week, I noticed that everyone is crazy for these rainbow cakes. And upon further research, the trend can be traced back to a certain Martha Stewart. Swoon! Of course! She thinks of everything!

Seeing as how I had a little free time on my hands, I decided to give it a try for tomorow's potluck. I mean, it was either make an experimental rainbow cake or do my taxes. Priorities! Side note: as I was making the cake, my mom called me to see if I did my taxes. To which I said, no, I'm baking a cake.

I decided to make mine like a real rainbow, like this one. Lofty goal, I know. But it used a box cake mix, which as cake snobby as I am, I do love a good Duncan Hines cake mix. Only Duncan Hines though. And so I was off!

Mixing colors!

Piping colors!

And totally making a mess.

But it was just so pretty!

And this was the big ohhh sh*t! moment. I was supposed to keep each color inside the other...like little concentric bands of color. Hmm...oh well. Still looks cool. It's just going to be a half rainbow as opposed to a full one. Potato, potatoe.

I baked it at a lower temperature to avoid doming on the top.

It didn't work. I shrugged it off.

And I of course had to have a tiny piece! Who cares if it's 11pm? I had a smallish dinner.

So it's more psychadelic than rainbow...but I think it's pretty cute and festive! I opted for a lemony glaze instead of a buttercream. You know, to be healthy.

Double Duty

What I absolutely love about southern California is the lack of seasonality. It's either cold, chilly or warm...with just a handful of days being icy cold or steamy hot. And with the days being longer, everything is starting to feel the teeniest bit summery. Which means I need to do something about these legs!

So I picked up a copy of Fitness magazine because an article with a promise of a 21 day transformation. The thing that prevents me from getting into the workout magazines is that you need lots of gym equipment for the exercises. You need a ball, one of those half balls, a medicine ball, a stretchy cord thing, etc, etc, etc. And they show their models happily doing these workouts on the beach, in a park or in their homes. Really? I mean....realllyyyyy? Could they make working out any more difficult?

But this time, I had an idea. Instead of buying a 6 lb medicine ball...I decided to use my little Dutch oven instead.

Without the lid, of course. It weighs in at a hefty 7lbs. So I've been using this little puppy to do my lunges, squats and whatever else is involved in this transformation. Ahem, "transformation". As I read more into the article, it said that I have to do 30 minutes of cardio per day and 2 sets of 8-12 reps of each exercise. Hmmm...doable. That's just week one! By week 3, this crazy magazine wants me doing 60 minutes of cardio and 2 sets of 20 reps of each exercise. When am I going to have time to eat??

Needless to say, the transformation will take longer than 21 days, but at least I found another use for my Dutch oven. And I can do my little exercises at home while watching my March Madness games. I have a bracket to keep an eye on.

Basic Country Loaf: Day 3

After coming home to yesterday's culture explosion, I was a little nervous at the unveiling of my culture this morning. It's been a balmy 77 degrees here in the apartment, and it's just perfect for me...and apparently, perfect for my culture. It's really quite bubbly and happy. And smelly.

So when you feed the culture to train it into a starter, you throw away most of it. But here's what the book doesn't tell you: You definitely do not want your discarded culture hanging out in your trash. Out in the open. Without protective kitchen towel. So I emptied mine in a bag.

I ended up double bagging this and throwing it away in the dumpster outside. I'm pretty compulsive like that. I blame my mom.

Now on to the feeding. You replace the discarded culture with equal parts of flour and water.

And mix. With your hands. Did I mention it's warm? Like bath water warm. Takes some getting used to. As tempted as I was to whip out a spoon, the bacteria on your hands helps your starter along. Yup, bacteria. No red velvet scented antibacterial gel here...well, maybe later.

Say hello to my starter in training. He's still smelly, but hopefully with time he will turn out to be more "milky and fresh" in scent.

And finally, when is a cupcake not a cupcake?

When it's vegan. With avocado "buttercream".

"Buttercream" without the butter is a sad thing.

Emphasis on the " ". They cupcakes baked up pretty, with little domed tops, but they are a little on the dry side, but summer's just a few month's away, so I better get used to these. Or salads.

Basic Country Loaf: Day 2

When I last left my culture (gosh that sounds so weird), just 1 day ago, it looked like this:

It looked almost edible. Or that it could perhaps be mainpulated into something edible. Maybe.

But today...just 1 later...my culture has turned into this:

It's bubbly...and umm...I think alive somehow. So much so that it stuck to it's towel acting as it's lid. And umm...it smells. Now, in my culture's defense, it's supposed to smell. In the calming words of my Tartine Bread book, "by this time, a dark crust may have formed over the top of the mixture, which is typical. Pull the crust back and note the aroma and bubbles caused by the fermentation".

Dark crust? Negative. (Whew!!) But I think we can all see the bubbles...and the aroma? Well, just be glad you don't need to smell it. I couldn't get the culture covered back up fast enough. My book goes on to say that it should "smell strong like stinky cheese and taste sharply acidic". I can vouch for the pungent stinky cheese smell...but I'm not sticking my finger in there for a taste. No way.

So all this stinky smell means is that it is ready for its first feeding tomorrow morning. I'm pretty excited!

But maybe more excited to wash the towel that my culture expanded on.

I pre-washed this in the sink because I was worried the little culture bits would clog up my washer. Yuck!!

MC2

In the world of All-Clad cookware, MC2 refers to their "Master Chef" line. Which I am not exactly...ok not at all. But that doesn't mean I can't feel ever so chefy with a shiny new set of these!!

And how could you not? Just look at these lovelies.

They came all packed up in their individual boxes! It's like unwrapping 6 separate presents!

I don't like to pick favorites...especially with 10 (including the lids)! But I can definitely see myself reaching for this 3-quart saute pan a time or two.

I also have a soft spot for this little guy.

Who knew an 8" pan could be so adorable?

I have always secretly lusted for anything All-Clad. And now to have 10 pieces...well 11 if you count the lasagna pan that was a gift with purchase...take that Clinique for a great gift with purchase.

I am so so happy! I can hardly wait to use them. But first, some new storage is in order. Until then, the little pretties are boxed up.

I peek at them sometimes for a little pick-me-up...and by sometimes, I mean every 5 minutes. I just can't help myself!!

Basic Country Loaf: Day 1

I love everything about bread. I think it's one of the most perfect foods! It can be savory or sweet, soft or crusty. And old bread bakes up perfectly in bread puddings or stratas. Or made into a summery panzanella! A renaissance food of sorts.

But just because I absolutely adore everything about bread, doesn't mean I'm any sort of expert bread baker. I've dabbled here and there with a few recipes. Cinnamon rolls, pizza dough, bagels, naan, white bread, cheesy loaves, garlic knots, but not legit crusty bread you'd find at a bakery. So this week, I decided to dust off my Tartine Bread book and make something from it.

The very first recipe in the book (and the base for most of the other recipes) is the Basic Country Loaf. And at 27-pages long, this recipe is also the first chapter of the book. Whew.

To tackle this, Chad Robertson breaks the process down into 3 steps. Developing the Starter, Making the Leaven and Mixing the Dough, and Baking the Loaves. I took this a step further and took notes on each step. I was a notetaker in college, after all.

The whole process from starter to baking is about a week. A week!

So today was Day 1, Step 1. Making the starter.

I measured the flour. A 5-lb 50/50 mix of white and whole wheat flour.

I know, 5 lbs of flour?? For 2 loaves? I had this same thought. But I rationalized it. Maybe these are big loaves. Huge loaves. And maybe I need it for the starter...and shaping...and dusting... Well, as it turns out, this 5 lb flur mix that I so carefully measured out is just for the starter!! How did I miss that in my note taking? Ughhhhh. Needless to say, any baked goods coming out of my kitchen will be half whole wheat.

Anyway, next I mixed a few handfuls of flour mix with a small bowl of water until it formed a thick batter.

Mixing with your hands is one of my favorite parts of bread baking.

I don't know exactly what a "thick batter" is, but I went with a thick pancake batter. And hoped for the best.

My starter is now resting in a shady corner in my kitchen. And hopefully, it 2-3 days time, it'll smell acidic and ripe! (Yum?) And then I can feed it. Apparently, at some point, I'll have to remove the black layer that forms. Blechhhh. The things I do for bread.