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Much has happened this past calendar year, and I am grateful for those of you who have welcomed me into the food community in Orange County. I know I'm the new kid on the block but food really does bring people together, and I have been so eager to learn from everyone. The blog's only been around for just two years now but 2012 has certainly been a huge year for improvement. I started it while I was still in school back in North Carolina so its content has only really been about Orange County since September of 2011. I think my first blogger event/recognition came in March of this year once I decided to change up my look. A Facebook and Twitter presence really makes a difference right? I'm still trying to learn how to make that all work, haha.

Thank you so much to those of you who continue to read and support the blog. As you know, 2013 will bring less frequent posts but hopefully better quality! Check out some of my goals for Much Ado About Fooding this new year:
  • At least two recipe posts per week
  • Continuation of Test Kitchen
  • Attention to food styling of recipes (props, placemats, etc)
  • Active learning of food photography for myself
  • Creating an actual food photography station/box at home
  • Reading at minimum one of issue of a food magazine every two weeks
  • More giveaways!
  • Incorporate more guest posts from the local food community

What are your food goals for 2013? What direction would you like to see this blog go? I want to be a bigger help to you! Comment below =]

In a piece I read in the New York Times, the criticizing author noted that the best way to mastering a salad (a sadly neglected dish of a meal) is to focus on what the French do: a solid vinaigrette. I would have to agree that we definitely have ruined the beauty of salad-making in America. Iceberg lettuce seems to serve as an appropriate base despite its lack of substance and nutrition (yes, I do have some weird hatred for it). A house salad is usually a toss of roughly chopped iceberg lettuce, dry sticks of carrot, and wimpy red cabbage doused in thick, fatty ranch dressing. Sound familiar? All too much.

So a quick run-through the article leads to some tips for mastering a salad by mastering vinaigrette. How interesting that it is easy enough to whip up. Give yourself some high quality ingredients of olive oil, wine vinegar, salt, and pepper to start. You can get a little creative after that but the basics lie in these main ingredients in the proper proportions. Make the salad leaves glisten, not drown. Give the article a read and let me know what you think about salads.

Reader questions: What do you dress your salads with? What do you think of American salads? Do you like vinaigrettes? Do you make your own salad dressings? Do you like to eat salads?

Original article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/02/dining/mastering-a-vinaigrette-dressing.html

Got a boule of jalapeno cheddar bread that you don't know what to do with? Use it for bread on a sandwich! That's what I did when I got a huge round of this delightful bread. I happened to have some turkey patties in the refrigerator and decided to turn this awesomeness into lunch for the family. It's basically a sandwich really so no need for long instructions.

Step 1: Ingredients (yields 4 servings)
  • 1 jalapeno cheddar bread round
  • whole-grain mustard
  • 4 turkey patties
  • 2 large Roma tomatoes, slied
  • 1 cup fresh spinach leaves

Step 2: Preparing the ingredients
Slice bread into quarters. Halve the quarters horizontally. Toast with inner sides up. In a skillet, cook turkey patties. Slice tomatoes and wash spinach leaves.

Step 3: Finishing
Spread whole-grain mustard on the top half of each "sandwich's" bread. Layer on spinach leaves and tomatoes. Place on turkey patty and other half of bread. Slice in half for easier handling or just enjoy!

Photography by Minerva Thai.

Sushi Noguchi on Urbanspoon

18507 Yorba Linda Blvd, Yorba Linda, CA 92886
Pricing - $$/$$$ | Dining - Casual, Dressy Casual | Cuisine - Japanese
www.sushinoguchi.com

 
 

Hands down the best sushi and sushi experience I've ever had. I'll say it. Now it's entirely up to you if you want to trust my word but whether you do or not does not change what a great time I had at Sushi Noguchi. Let's forget the company I was with (though c'mon, who doesn't have fun when Lori & Robert are around?) and focus on the restaurant itself. Still, the best sushi experience. Sushi Noguchi is one of those gems that you don't know about unless someone tells you. Luckily for Duc and me, we're friends with the chef's wife (and co-owner), Jun, who has told us constantly that we need to drop by. So we finally did one night and wow is all I have to say. First of all, the dining environment is lovely - it's simple but still has personality. The wooden furniture and slats on some of the walls and ceiling complemented the stark white tables and paint, giving a more modern look to an otherwise traditional Japanese-style place.

 
 

We sat at the bar so we could watch Chef Hiro-san at work. I was tempted to go with the Omakase choice but since we were dining with regulars, I left it up to them for our off-menu items. We asked what was new and special for the night and out came some tempura anago (sea eel), a difficult fish to prepare due to its extreme boniness. It came out with some lemon and salt and was prepared perfectly with nary a bone in sight or mouth. Our friends ordered a plate of fresh, raw clam and a bowl of the Chicken Kara age (marinated in special house sauce and then deep fried). I've never had clam sashimi before so gave it a shot - so fresh and tasted like the sea! The texture made me think of cartilage or tendon though so keep that in mind before you order. The kara age was very juicy and perfectly crisp. As I love yellowtail, I could not pass up on the Yellowtail Sashimi in Jalapeno Sauce. I'm glad I didn't because this was mind-blowing. The fish was so soft and buttery, lightly melting in my mouth while the sauce reminded me that there was some kick in that pepper. Let's not forget to stare at the picture of it too. Everything was presented beautifully that night as they do every night.

 
 
 

As you may have guessed from the idea of yellowtail sashimi in jalapeno sauce, they do things a little non-traditional here. An amuse-bouche came out with some calamari (best crunch I've had in a while), Kobe beef steak bite (juicy), and a kabob of sorts with to-die for shrimp. Though swimming in the decadence of expertise there, we still managed to capture some silly moments of Jun despite Hiro-san's concentrated preparation, haha.

 
 

Upon recommendation from our friends, we opted to order the Japanese Ceviche (tuna, yellowtail, salmon lightly marinated in fresh yuzu juice, olive oil and minced garlic) which was lovely, bright, and flavorful. The marinade was tangy and refreshing - I really could have used a lot of chips right then and there to scoop up all there was in the bowl! Our friends ordered the Spicy Tuna Tartare Mille-Feuille (three layers of spicy tuna tartare, slices of avocado and deep fried wanton skins with balsamic vinegar soy sauce), a skillfully crafted tower of crispy, creamy, and creative. I didn't get a taste of this but it did look simply ravishing. We all got miniature bowls of monkfish liver, an item that was rich in flavor with the texture of extra-firm tofu. Lovely. Then they ordered the Chilean Seabass Chinois Style (lightly pan fried Chilean seabass with crispy exterior served
in a chinois style sweet and sour sauce), a flaky delicious fish that beautifully mixed with the sweet and sour sauce it swam in.

 

To finish off the night well, I asked for the Smoked Salmon Carpaccio (thinly sliced smoked salmon with yuzu juice, olive oil, red onion and garlic) out of curiosity for this take on an Italian dish. As I expected, it was sashimi artfully presented with little sprouts and pink peppercorns. Talk about a Christmasy plate! As with all the fish we had, this one was just so soft and fresh. The smoked flavors really shone through when highlighted by the yuzu juice and the pop from those peppercorns brought the experience to another level. When we thought we'd be done, our friends insisted that we give the infamous Mille-Feuille dessert a try - I'm so glad we did. This custard-based cake is created by laying thin layer upon alternating thin layer of pastry and cream, a feat that Jun confessed to us takes 2 hours for her workers to master each morning they make it. I can believe that! The attention put into ensuring that each layer is exact in thickness and richness can easily be tasted as each part slides inside your mouth. I'd drive back to Yorba Linda just for the dessert for sure!

Overall, a magnificent evening full of deft hands, the freshest of fish, the most careful and beautiful presentations, and passion. Loved it! Thank you to Jun and Hiro-san for creating such a wonderful place for people to go to to enjoy your talents. Your dedication to the art of sushi and cuisine shows and is inspirational to those of us who appreciate your hard work and skill.

Photography by Duc Duong.

It is with sad reindeer ears and a grimace on my face that I am announcing a slight scale back on the amount of posts I do for Much Ado About Fooding. Last year I had posed the question on whether or not to continue posting daily and to my slight dismay, no answer on yes or no! So at that point, I trudged forward with the daily postings but 2012 has shown me just how busy I can get some days. That being said, I must make sure to hand over more quality to you all rather than just quantity.

SO! Starting January 1, 2013, MAAF will have posts on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Fret not dear readers because Test Kitchen will still be around as will my personal goal of at least 2 recipes a week, ensuring that a whopping 50% of my posts in 2013 forward will be recipes. Yay for cheating the system, hah. Anyhow, I'll move back to daily posts I suppose if enough people clamor for it...I guessssss. =] I can be persuaded after all. Thanks for reading and keeping it going!

Merry Christmas to you! Happy birthday to my blog! It's now a saucy two years old. Don't people refer to this time as the Terrible Twos? Maybe I should start making all the posts overly punny and full of lame jokes. Hah. Anyhow, I can't let down my Test Kitchen trend now and today's recipe comes from using last week's ingredient which was brandy. Duc and I worked with some from his coffers (he's working on building an Armagnac and Cognac collection) on our adjustment to the Sorted Food recipe for eggnog shakes. It's in the holiday spirit and oh so delicious. Give it a whirl yourself!

Step 1: Ingredients (yields 6 servings)
  • 1 vanilla bean pod (I used Madagascar vanilla)
  • pinch of cinnamon
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • 4 cups (1 qt) whole milk
  • 6 eggs
  • 1/4 cup castor sugar
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup brandy
  • cocoa powder

Step 2: Preparing ingredients
Using a sharp paring knife, slice into vanilla bean pod  and scrape out into a saucepan. Add both pod and beans. Turn on medium-high heat. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, and milk. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until frothy.

 
 

Step 3: Mixing ingredients
Stir saucepan frequently until the milk is hot. Remove from heat and pour slowly into egg mixture. A slow pour and constant, but slow stirring will prevent eggs from cooking. When both have been thoroughly incorporated, pour back into saucepan, now on low heat. Keep stirring.

 
 

Step 4: Finishing
When the liquid is thick enough to coat your spoon  and you can draw an apparent line through it (see picture), it is thick enough. Remove from heat and let cool for about 1 minute before adding brandy and cream, remembering to continue stirring. Pour into a jug to chill in a refrigerator. When ready to drink, serve in a tall glass and top with cocoa powder.

 

This week's Test Kitchen ingredient: seaweed
"Seaweed is also known as sea vegetables. While seaweed is low in both saturated fats and cholesterol, it has high concentrations of some vitamins and very high concentrations of many minerals. Claims have been made that seaweed reduces cancer risk and promotes weight loss. Perhaps you would like to add seaweed to your diet." [WikiHow]

Tell me on Facebook what you'd like to see me do with the seaweed!



Photography by Duc Duong.


Is this a cop-out of a post? Maybe. Does it matter? Nope! Tomorrow's Christmas and I'm going to Vancouver in January! Time to eat my heart out Canada-style. Two of my friends and I are going to make the trek up north from the 10th to the 14th, and though we've got Yelp on our side, we're also looking for some foodie suggestions in the area. Got any to suggest this way? I'd love to have a fabulous slew of delightful reviews once I return so I can share pictures and descriptions with everyone. Hopefully it won't be too cold once I get there. I hear the sushi's awesome and we've got a few places in mind but hey, can't hurt to have a recommendation here and there right? Shove your thoughts my way and I'll see if we can hit them up. Happy holidays to you all by the way! Tomorrow's my blog's birthday, a tasty Test Kitchen post, and a fun day off of work due to Christmas. Hope yours is awesome!

Holiday gifting can really be a time of stress but it's not just the big stuff you sweat; it's the little stuff that you make for the masses that might get you fretting and frumping. I knew what I was getting my family and my close friends but what to do for others such as co-workers? It would have to be something small and easy to mass produce but still personal enough. Luckily for me, my office generally likes baked goods and those are easily made in large quantities. I opted to make peppermint bars for them and found some cute holiday treat boxes from The Container Store (LOVE that place!). The bars went in on top of a few Andes mint chocolates too.

If you still need to get those goodies out of the way, I suggest something baked. Who will deny sweets? Last year I made sugar cookie cups that I filled with holiday trail mix - those were a hit as well! If you aren't a baking savvy person, try getting cute useful office things or handmade ornaments. One of my co-workers went all out and got us each personalized gifts (I got a cookie press and some whoopie pie mix!) but if your # of giftees is big, scale it down a bit and get creative. For those of you who've already put things together, what did you give out this holiday season?

Are you a fan of tea? I sure am, and I am so excited for the opening of Seventh Tea Bar located in Costa Mesa in the OC Mart Mix. Seventh will be neighbors to the well-known Portola Coffeehouse, both of which were concepts created by the craft beverage-minded Christa and Jeff Duggan. Portola has become infamous for its craft coffee experience which spawned the Theorem bar, a craft coffee bar experience (think of a cocktail bar with coffee instead of alcohol) with educational sessions which you can reserve to attend. Now Seventh has sprung through as a craft tea place where not only can you enjoy your cup of tea but become more educated along the way. In fact, the name itself is worth noting: Seventh is named so because tea is believed in China to be the seventh of seven life necessities. The knowledgeable staff will help guide customers through the different teas and brewing methods, something we all got to see firsthand as we checked the place out during a media preview.

 
 

The first station we stopped at was for their Yunnan Gold Tip tea from Yunnan, China. Served by the talented Truman, we learned of how this type of tea in addition to being peppery, brisk, spiced, and a bit strong in taste is in line with the historic practice of only allowing royalty to drink tea made from the tips of the leaves. He prepared our cups for us with an aeropress typically used for coffee. By the way, did you know that technically "tea" refers to the leaves themselves and the result of processing into the drink creates the "liquor"? Interesting.

 
 
 

Kelly's station was my favorite as she had the Oolong Fanciest from O Mei, Taiwan. She used the gaiwan technique to pour our cups and showed how this particular tea can be infused several times. I have a picture of the tea in its natural state, after one infusion, and after two infusions; you can see just how much more open and translucent it becomes. I liked this tea the best as its sweet, mellow, yet complex nature proved to be refreshing despite being a hot drink.

 
 

The station with the Dragonwell 3rd from Anhui, China seemed to be the least preferred amongst others I spoke to but I actually liked it. Perhaps it was due to cultural or nostalgic association that I wasn't put off by the Chinese green tea; I've had ones much more bitter than this. In fact, I did agree with the description of this one being sweet, vegetal, and fired. Prepared with the kyusu, it was a little bitter but that's expected of this variety - still much sweeter than other Chinese green teas I've had.

 
 

One thing that I love about everything that the Duggans have done so far is that they do not let any section of their concepts fall through the cracks. Though Seventh will be primarily a tea place, the accompanying food will still be amazing. Created by Chef Katherine Louis, the menu will complement the teas but also stand along as fantastic food itself. We had the pleasure of trying these all out too. From the flaky croissants to the fruity scones, I had breakfast in mind covered. Then we had fun tea sandwiches that I could not stop eating. The Smoked Chicken Salad (smoked chicken, Greek yogurt vinaigrette, green apple, and scallions) was simply satisfying. My favorite of the two was the Gravlax Glory (house cured citrus salmon, shallot-caper relish, dill creme fraiche, and sliced heirloom tomatoes) for its soft salmon and bright creme.

 
 

Of course, you can't forget to have breads and spreads at a tea place. We got to try their French baguette with two spreads and a cheese dip, all presented in adorable little jars. The Za'attar Spiced Goat Cheese Dip (puree za'atar spice, olive oil, and goat cheese) was a crowd pleaser - it was creamy, strong, and fragrant. We also had the strawberry black-pepper jam (fruit with a kick!) and the curried tomato chutney (tangy and spiced). For a dessert, you will be spoiled with their decadent Earl Grey Truffles.

 


You should be excited for Seventh as I am because it will offer to you a unique experience for those passionate about tea to those new and willing to learn. One of the best things about the Duggans is their determination to help everyone become more educated about all the beverages they have to offer. With tea, it makes so much sense; the history of tea has not been as prevalent in America as in other countries but its richness is more than enough reason for us to learn. The traditions, the ceremonies, the culture associated with tea (second most consumed beverage in the world after water) are just a tip of the iceberg. It boils down to providing this side of Orange County with a one-of-a-kind cutting-edge educational eye-opener.

But don't come here with the expectation that you'll run into people with their noses held high because of their prior tea knowledge. This Victorian punk setting is for everyone and will even be kid-friendly! The open atmosphere will attract shoppers waltzing through the OC Mart Mix. The iced teas brewed in kegs and served on tap will bring in those just needing a little more push into the craft tea world. The loose-leaf teas will encourage home brewing and the overall quality of all teas will show that tea is really something special. Besides, who doesn't want to relax every once in a while with some tableside tea service? A full pot of tea, some good friends, light conversation, and great food - sounds like a perfect afternoon to me!

Photography by Duc Duong. More photos available on Facebook.

Seventh Tea Bar on Urbanspoon
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