Here's a pretty familiar scenario: "Have you eaten here yet, Minerva?" "No...sorry." Insert sheepish grin. I would have to attribute it to my having been away for school from the Orange County area. Upon my return, I was a penny-pinching recent college graduate so even then, I didn't spend much on eating out. Additionally, I love cooking so I eat in a fair amount of times. So unfortunately, I haven't been to a lot of places that people may find as OC staples. One of which would be the seemingly ubiquitous chain of Pei Wei Asian Diner (operated by P.F. Chang's). I hadn't been but was recently sent a card to give them a try so I dragged coworkers by one lunch.


The true purpose was to give the new summer menu items a try but it happened to also be my first exposure to the eatery. Of all the new items, the ones we actually tried were the Ginger Orange Edamame ($2.99 large - steamed soybeans, orange peel, ginger, garlic, sea salt), Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps ($6.99 - citrus soy sauce, red onions, red bell peppers, scallions, cilantro, mint, iceberg lettuce), Korean Steak Lettuce Wraps ($7.79 - Korean red chile sauce, carrots, bean sprouts, red onions, scallions, cucumbers, toasted sesame seeds, iceberg lettuce), and Hunan Vegetable Lettuce Wraps ($6.99 - Hunan sauce, tofu, shiitake mushrooms, Szechuan vegetables, zucchini, red bell peppers, red onions, scallions, peanuts, iceberg lettuce).

We all actually found the edamame too oily for our liking, and the warmth was a foreign concept as whole edamame have typically been served cold. It was given a quick pass as we moved into the lettuce wraps. The Thai Chicken were assuredly full of citrus notes and bright. The Korean steak seemed an attempt at bulgogi but came off a bit sweet. The julienned vegetables however added a good touch. My favorite of the three actually was the Hunan vegetable because of its tangy but spicy sauce and the perfect miniature cubes of vegetables; I wonder how long it took the prep chefs to dice them so finely. Overall, the wraps were quite messy to tackle because of how saucy they each were.


In terms of regular menus, my coworkers chose to order their favorites whenever they visit Pei Wei: Pad Thai ($8.49 large - Thai sweet and sour sauce, tofu, bean sprouts, scallions, egg, crushed peanuts, lime, cilantro, rice noodles) and Honey Seared Crispy Shrimp ($7.39 small - honey garlic sauce, chile oil, rice sticks, scallions, red bell peppers) with brown rice. The pad thai serving was quite generous, and I enjoyed the texture of the noodles. There was enough sauce to cover the ingredients but not douse the entire dish which was much appreciated. I liked finding the chunks of chicken to have with the ground peanuts as well albeit their being overcooked. As for the shrimp, they maintained just enough crispiness during our meal to be manageable; the accompanying crispies helped. The sauce melded well with the brown rice too. My thanks to them for the opportunity to try them out. If you are interested in checking out a Pei Wei near you for a fast casual Asian-American experience, their website is www.peiwei.com.

Photography by Minerva Thai.

Funny thing when I picked last week's Test Kitchen ingredient of basil seed - I told myself that I wouldn't use it for a drink. After all, that's the only way I knew it was used, and I figured the point was to go out of my comfort zone whenever I pick a Test Kitchen ingredient. However, after much research, I discovered that unfortunately, that's just about how people use the seed in culinary creations. I had always seen it in cans at Vietnamese supermarkets when I was younger (and also tricked my younger brother into thinking they were the eyes of children who misbehaved...yeah I was a bully) but never desired to eat them. They looked like frog spawn! Now, though, it seems like they have some health benefits so people are picking them up again as they are with chia seeds. They still look weird and the texture takes some getting used to but perhaps you'll be brave and make this recipe below!

Step 1: Ingredients (yields 2 drinks)

• 1 tsp basil seed
• 2 cups water, divided
• 1 chunk ginger, peeled and sliced
• 1.5 tbsps sugar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/2 cup rosewater

Step 2: Prepping ingredients
This is an easy drink. In a small saucepan, heat up all but 1/4 cup of the water. Combine with ginger, sugar, and honey until everything dissolves. Turn off heat to let cool. Rinse basil seed in a fine strainer before placing into 1/4 cup of water. Let sit for several minutes while it puffs up with its gelatinous material. Forgive my picture of the saucepan - I had used a lavender vanilla bean sugar instead of granulated so there were stray matters.


Step 3: Finishing
Either divide evenly between two cups or combine into one large container to split later the rosewater, seeds, and honey mixture. Stir well and chill before serving. If you wish to drink immediately, add crushed ice. Enjoy!


This week's Test Kitchen ingredient: cannellini beans
I feel like there are way too many beans out there to potentially cook with. That much was made glaringly apparent when we visited a farm that had dozens of varieties that we hadn't even heard of. This week, we'll need to do something with cannellini beans, these Italian white kidney beans that you might have eaten before. Tell us what your thoughts are by commenting on the picture when it goes up!


Photography by Minerva Thai.

It was hard to believe that the most recent chef demo we attended was the last of the Golden Chef series for the Golden Foodie Awards 2013. There had been three before it featuring Golden Foodie Award winners and nominees. This event time, we were graced by the presence and expertise of Chef Louie Jocson from Red Table in Huntington Beach who prepared "Shrimp & Pearls" for the audience. Chef Charlie Plummer, Sommelier with the Jackson Family Estate Wines, was once again the lively, crowd-pumping host, and the venue for this demo was again the Sub-Zero and Wolf Show Room in Costa Mesa.


As always at these events, we had plates of fresh fruit by Melissa's Produce, artisan bread by Sadie Rose, toffee by Addington Toffee, and wine by La Crema out for nibbling on while the demonstration went on. Charlie began with introductions of Chef Louie Jocson, sous chef Gonzalo (aka Pumba!), and helper Christina from the Arts Institute. Chef Louie is the creator and executive chef of Red Table in Huntington Harbor who created it with memories of good times with friends in mind; they would gather together to do the core things to de-stress in life - Relax, Eat, and Drink around the table. It became obvious to the chef that his place would have to be called RED Table then. Filipino with a Hawaiian background, Chef Louie has been in the kitchen since he was young. In a household with four other brothers and nary a sister in sight, the culinary chores of the household fell upon each of the siblings; though they hated it then, it became obvious that this exposure blossomed into his passion.

"Fresh is best."

Red Table recently celebrated its second anniversary on July 25th but prior to that, Chef Louie had been involved with start ups to full blown restaurants. Trained at the Culinary Institute of America in San Francisco, he finally put together his home-style restaurant which is designed to be just like coming to a person's house for dinner - no hostess in the front, sitting wherever wanted, and no signage all over the walls. It is formed to be welcoming and reminiscent of a familiar environment filled with plenty of great food. We took a look at his work station which focused on fresh herbs in water glasses and stock made from fresh produce for the mirepoix & shrimp shells for the base. Fantastic.


To give us all a special treat and prevent our grumbling stomachs from drowning out the sounds of his voice during the demo, Chef Louie specially prepared his poke dish for the audience to share. It was chopped to perfection and contained a stunning (but brief) kick of spice. As we ate that bit of seafood, we learned how he picks his seafood of choice for the dish: Black Tiger Shrimp. By the way, that is my favorite shrimp, and I was glad to see that we would all be partaking in its succulence. These ones from Thailand were U8-10 (meaning 8-10 units per pound which he explained to the audience). He showed guests how exactly to pick out the freshest and best shrimp (crimson legs, dark black stripes, shell-on, and clean smell), how to save their thick shells to make stock, and how to clean them out before cooking. These were grilled after being marinated (garlic, shallot, salt, pepper, dried oregano, Italian parsley, chili flakes, and olive oil) to partial doneness (if no grill is available, he recommends a grilled pan) and finished off in the convection oven similar to how a steak would be done.


For once, we got to see host Charlie in action as Chef Louie invited him to assist in the cooking. During this interaction, we learned that the simplest meals will make chef happy, especially ones that his wife prepares. A rotisserie chicken is no match for him ("I will eat the whole chicken.") but don't give him peanut butter - that's the only dislike so far! After they brought the oil to its smoke point, diced tomatoes were added to slow heat and provide moisture before basil, chives, parsley, and parcooked chopped shrimp were added in. Chef's main tip for the night was to layer flavors and seasonings during cooking so that you are seasoning at the beginning, middle, and end. The "pearls" for this dish were Israeli couscous, and the style was risotto-like.


As we got closer to the finish, Charlie asked a bit about Chef Louie's stance on the "unhealthy" foods in cooking, particularly MSG which is still prevalent in Asian restaurants. His response to that specific additive? "I grew up on MSG. That's how I'm so well-preserved!" Then he, of course, proceeded to finish off the risotto with his cooking companion - "This is about taste, and butter is my friend." We sure got to taste what that addition was like, and there were no complaints anywhere! To beautifully plate his dish, Chef Louie added colorful droplets of herb oil and roasted red pepper oil before graceful lines of balsamic reduction were laid around the pearls. Basil microgreens topped the beautifully slightly-charred shrimp, and everything was finished with an homage to his Hawaiian side: Kauai red clay sea salt and black lava sea salt.


Charlie was on hand to guide guests into pairing this dish at home if they so desired to try making it. For its light body and mouthwatering traits, a Pinot Gris was selected. For the citrus notes best complementing seafood, a Sauvignon Blanc was picked. Both were chosen for their compatibility with the whole dish based on weight, acid, salt, and intensity. It was an informative, brief tutorial into the world of wine-pairing, and I'm sure the guests appreciated the tips! We found the dish to be not just gorgeous to look at but to taste as well. The shrimp had been cooked to the perfect texture, and the seasoned pearls lent a fine, fresh finish to the meal. More reason, aside from the Chef's amicable nature itself, to visit Red Table in Huntington Harbor! Our thanks to the crew for having us and for putting on a great show.


Photography by Duc Duong. More pictures available on Facebook here.

I just realized that some of my recipes have different parts that are interchangeable with other recipes. For example, in my Banana Cream Pie post, there is a graham cracker pie crust made from scratch involved! For some people, they may not want to pile on heaps of banana-y custard on the crust but still want to use this base for other tasty treats. So yes, here we go - a crust to munch on. For my banana cream pie recipe, I used a white truffle salt but the recipe below allows you to just use a regular sea salt OR if you are feeling adventurous, go for a complementary flavor with your filling. Enjoy!

Step 1: Ingredients (yields 9" crust)

• 1 1/2 cups ground graham crackers (~12 crackers)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 6 tbsps unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Step 2: Prepping the crackers
Preheat oven to 350°F.Destroy graham crackers until you get finely ground graham dust in a food processor. Then add melted butter, salt, and sugar. Combine thoroughly before pressing tightly into the bottom and sides of a pie tin with the back of a spoon. You'll want it to be packed tightly so it doesn't fall apart on you after you slice your pie.


Step 3: Finishing
Bake for 12-14 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool a bit before spreading on any filling. Example below!


Photography by Minerva Thai.

The OC Fair. It's a mecca of fried food, summer heat, crazy and bright carnival games, rocking concerts, amazing displays of culinary and craftsy prowess, and so much more. The 2013 one, themed "Come & Get It!", spanned the OC Fair & Event Center grounds where the fair is always held; attracting OC residents and beyond, it's not a light occasion. We've visited a few times now but for this particular post, it was during a foodie tour that we dove into the popular practice of eating things that have been dipped into hot oil severally.


Part of the afternoon involved getting to meet the minds behind the concoctions, and one of those we met was Lori, provider of beloved Tasti Chips and Grantburgers. It seems that just about everyone who has had Tasti Chips love them, and they are saying so with good reason. The housemade potato chips are slightly thick to allow for more starchy goodness per bite but still crisp enough to get a satisfying crunch. Available were the original, cheese jalapeno chips, and dirty BBQ chips. Condiments included a ghost chili sauce that was mainly mayo with a slight heat to it. We enjoyed the cheese jalapeno ones best though for the combination of gooey, spicy, and crunchy. The Grantburgers were great as well - one being a ghost chili burger with enough heat to leave lips tingling but no tongues panting and the other being a cheese and bacon jam one.

 

Mike of Bacon A-fair (made famous by their Chocolate Covered Bacon) brought out the porky favorites that people will come to the fair for. We tried the chocolate covered bacon, and the secret is really in the good chocolate used. This thick dark chocolate hid the bacon well enough that the crisp slice was only a salty flavoring; the star was the chocolate itself. Of course that doesn't stop Bacon A-fair from making Cheesy Bacon Bombs (exactly as awesome as they sound), Wild Boar on a Stick (chewy and lean but flavorful), Bacon Beer (root beer flavored with a Torani bacon syrup - oddly tasty), and a Bacon Chocolate Dipped Banana (bacon pieces all around for a salty crunch). These dishes were nothing to shy away from even for the non-bacon lover.


Chicken Charlie's has struck me as the indulgent one of the whole OC Fair bunch. You can pretty much guess so whenever you walk in and see the enormous stands with fried everything, marked by their billowing bacon strip flags. While under the shade of an eating area set aside for the tasters, we had their Waffle Dog (a sweet batter waffle surrounding a hot dog and covered in powdered sugar - an okay corndog spin) and Deep-fried Cookie Dough (something a bit too sweet for both of us). Then we migrated onto the grounds for their Deep-fried Avocado (the "healthier" version of eating fried butter because of nature's butter!) and toward their Pineapple Express booth. Yes, they've got another one where you can find some Deep-fried Pineapple rings to sate any doughnut cravings.


Over at Pineapple Express, we tasted just about everything popular on the menu. Our favorite were the Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp, a welcome surprise but because of its inherent crunchiness from the shrimp shell and the crisp on a bacon strip (and saltiness!), it was a treat. There was also their Shrimp in a Pineapple which was smaller than the former dish but packed with both sweet sticky rice and chunks of juicy, sweet pineapple. Then there were also the Maui Sliders, an arrangement of Maui-style chicken with housemade secret slaw between King's Hawaiian rolls. No wonder that's a very popular seller! We also had their Fried Lobster on a stick and a whole order of their Slaw, a proprietary recipe of creamy homestyle goodness.


Our thanks to everyone who hosted us and allowed us to try out their foods. The vendors really do make a difference on the fair because they are who people will come out of their way to see and eat from! Not to take away from the food but I also wanted to say thank you to everyone for your continued support of Much Ado About Fooding! We won 3rd place for Step-by-Step Recipe for the Cream of Mushroom Soup recipe! It was great to see that little sticker and to collect the ribbon at the end. It was our first time entering so it was a great honor to receive an award. Congrats also to the other bloggers who placed in their divisions/classes/categories. I'm definitely going to amp up for next year and try to take home that BIG ribbon!

Photography by Duc Duong whose bacon obsession I've cured him of. More photos available on Facebook here.

Have I ever told you the story of how Duc and I met? You'll have to ask us some time when you next see us but the story involves meeting each other, feeling a spark between the two of us, and then not hearing from each other for six years (very truncated version). The story of our relationship takes place after those six years. We'd taken different paths in our lives full of different experiences but somehow managed to cross paths again and find common ground. He could teach me about wine; I could teach him about food. Our first reunion shocked us (privately) because the spark was definitely still there. Conversation flowed easily, and without hesitation, we arranged to meet again. I even left the country for a month but we touched base nearly daily.

The first recipe he shot for the blog was French toast...and it was the first time he'd ever had French toast

Today is our second anniversary together as a couple but it certainly does not feel like a mere two years. From August 1, 2011 to now, we have seen each other just about every day. It's hard to keep away! It's also hard to say to some people that we're currently boyfriend-girlfriend, not husband-wife like many mistake us for when they first meet us. For the most part, we've stopped correcting others. It's never been a matter of "if," but "when." It's pretty awesome, if I do say so myself!

I wow-ed him our first month by making 5+ platters of finger foods for his friends at his wine education dinner

The real purpose of this post though is to say happy anniversary to my wonderful, amazing duke. He has somehow squirmed himself into my blog life in an indispensable way. The pictures have morphed Much Ado About Fooding into something grander than pre-2011. His guidance has also steered me towards taking my own more-informed photographs (with better gear) for the posts. We have a designated closet space at his apartment where my growing collection of food styling props is housed. The events find Duc in tow and snapping away while I get to know the people in attendance.

We bonded at our re-uniting over the fact that we were stout lovers.

I'm glad that I was able to tear him away from his past lifestyle of baconeggsricespamrepeat that was his only food source. It has been a blast exposing him to various foods throughout our blog adventures and watching the joys as we discover great fare together. I say our blog because that's what it has become, hasn't it? Let's face it - I'm sure many of you scroll through the posts just to see what amazing food photography he's managed to capture. I'm happy about that, and though I write always with the "I" in tone, it's only because he doesn't write. Much Ado About Fooding's our blog. Don't be surprised when you start seeing more of Duc and his information up on the site the coming weeks. I want y'all to know just how integral he is to the success of the blog and where it is today.

Did I mention that my thoughtful Ducasaurus is growing me a garden to play with?! (Source graphic: unknown)

I don't think I can thank him enough for everything that he has given to me and MAAF though I suppose more peanut butter chocolates from his favorite, Valenza Chocolatier, couldn't hurt. Duc, my dear, I'm excited about this anniversary and the many more to come. Thanks for putting up with all of the events, experiments in the kitchen, moments when I gesture at you to rush over to take a picture, and crazy late blogging nights. You are a much appreciated guinea pig and an irreplaceable, super useful piece of arm candy (much more than just that, I promise!). Thanks for all that you've taught me and the future things you will. Now, let's celebrate by attending way too many food events (of course) and seeing lions at the San Diego Safari Park!