Inn at West View Farm

Manchester Martial Arts Academy

2008-09-23T21:48:00.002-04:00

What is Random?

2008-09-13T23:37:00.006-04:00

Last night reminded us of the seemingly randomness in which events of our lives and others somehow become intertwined. A longtime guest of our restaurant ordered a Henny Penny, a drink which we knew but wanted to confirm it's exact preparation. Christal googled Henny Penny to find out and came across the following NY Times article on the last days of La Caravelle (a restaurant I have always admired).

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E02E5D6143EF935A15756C0A9629C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all

The article bizarrely enough speaks of the guest in our restaurant who ordered the Henny Penny. The article happily gave us a hint as to how remarkable this women's life must have been.

Last summer, guests mistakenly reserved a room at our Inn instead of the Dorset Inn. At breakfast they noticed that in one of the articles written about the Inn that the chef was Raymond Chen. They oddly began questioning Christal about my family and I. My dad's name is also Raymond Chen. As it turned out they were very good friends of my parents when we lived in Queens and had baby sat me when I could barely walk.

The above is a picture of Christal and I while in Bretagne in 1999. We happened to notice it in the NY Times on a Sunday while we were sitting around waiting for my niece to be born. I saw the article and said to Christal, "Oh look, there's the area of France we visited," and "Oh look, there's the restaurant we went to." Then I turned the page. Christal said, "go back, I think we're in that picture." Sure enough, it was us. How easily could this have been overlooked?

So is it random or something greater?

Deadbooks

2008-07-25T00:01:00.004-04:00

It is always a joy when you see unexpected talents and passion in people you know and enjoy. Here is an example shown through my friend and dojo mate, Hasso. Cool things do appear in our sleepy (yet scary) town.

Sake Steamed Chinese Black Bean Mussels

2008-07-20T10:39:00.008-04:00

We adapted this recipe from the classic Chinese black bean dish often served with baby clams. Here we have incorporated the use of sake and cream to add a brothy richness to the mussels. The broth makes for a great bread dipper. We finish the dish with a healthy sprinkling of cilantro and chives.

In the restaurant, we steam the mussels in a french steel pan and cover the pan with another pan upside down. Mussels are kind of tricky to cook. Many say that once the shell opens, the mussels are done but to me they still need to be cooked until the flesh pulls away from the edge of the shell. For one serving, we use about 2 ounces each of sake, black bean puree and cream.

Recipe:

1 pound fermented black beans

6 garlic cloves

2 inches ginger, peeled

24 small Thai chile peppers

2 cups canola oil

Puree all ingredients in a blender.

This makes alot, so you may have to scale this back. Freezing this in small batches is an option.

The following link is another mussel recipe that was featured in the Boston Globe.

http://www.boston.com/ae/food/articles/2005/04/06/chefs_are_musseling_in_on_the_magic_of_curries/

Sensei Jon Bottomms- Godan Shiai

2008-06-30T12:28:00.005-04:00

A memorable karate day up in Sensei Rick Marallo's dojo in Rutland, VT.

Saturday Nights Alright!

2008-06-08T23:33:00.007-04:00

We live in a world of opposites. Those of us working in the restaurant world see their weekends usually as some part of the midweek. I'm often talking to friends on Monday going thank god it's Friday (I'm off Tuesday and Wednesday) with them going it really is Monday, you @#$%#.

You get accustomed to working when most people are celebrating which I believe is a difficult thing for anyones mind to embrace. This means when people are celebrating, we are working our hardest. So am I preaching sour grapes, NO!

While this is difficult, you learn to treat busy weekends, holidays, parties as challenges, endurance races if you will. I have always heard the Broadway show reference with regard to restaurants, but I have never been in a show and have no idea what that means. I have been in many endurance races so this is my point of reference.

In this world of opposites, we complain when it is too busy and clamor when it is too slow, but it isn't until it's brutally busy do we get our chance to see our real selves and given a chance to shine. No time to put on a brave face, only time to BE brave. Orders come in so quickly that you don't think it is possible for you to handle it. Yet you do and the dishes come out great. This is when you reflect upon what you do and say this is special. This is what I do, I do it well and I don't give up! A lot like racing.

When I first started out, a cook pointed to the chef and said, "you know why he continues to do this all these years?" I assumed it was passion for the food but the cook said, " every other job would seem boring to him, it's like a drug." Again, a lot like racing.

bon anniversaire, richard tete!

Connecting dantien with a camel

2008-06-05T23:29:00.006-04:00

You know you are a martial arts geek when you are riding a camel and primarily focusing on the connection of your dantien/hara with that of your camel's.

Both getting from the down position to the up position and vice versa on a camel are an interesting study in both geometry and gravity. The camels back legs go up first when he is preparing to stand while the front legs go down first when he is preparing to lie down. Both of these movements seem to create a 45 degree angle. The camel is also moving laterally as one leg moves before the other. This gives you some sway to consider with your angulation. Camels in case you need to be reminded are very large- tall and wide- with one large hump (Egypt's kind anyway). These camels are outfitted with a saddle with a single handle/nub (I'm sure this has a name). The ability to utilize this handle/nub which enables you to shift your weight to compensate for the angles and sway during the up/down process would determine whether the newbie camel rider will be eating a little Saharan sand or become the next Eddie Arcaro on a camel.

As our group/caravan started to move, the bizarre camel rising process didn't escape me and left me feeling a little uncomfortable. Outside of riding a donkey in Greece this would be the second time in my life I would have to ride on the back of an animal. In order to shift the focus of this ride, I decided to use my martial arts training to try to connect with this odorous and oddly shaped beast. I know this sounds weird unless you have been to enough classes where this concept is brought up often enough that it seems natural. Anyway, it worked and I started to enjoy my ride, up until the point where my camel handler handed me the rope and decided to leave. Having been newly liberated, my camel jumped at the opportunity to test our new found connection and began to run. Bizarre re-entered the equation. It's funny how your mind works when you are quickly confronted with a situation that requires an immediate resolution. Jump and die. Jump, get trampled and die (alright dying is probably an exaggeration). Or suck it up and stay on. I decided to reconnect with my camel and enjoy the sights of the now very rapidly approaching Nubian village. My camel handler did return only to insure that he got his tip. Christal, my son, my mother and our guide made the wise choice of sailing in a boat down the Nile to meet us at the village. At the Nubian village, my mother commented that I looked very relaxed on the camel while my guide thought I was very brave for "wanting" my camel to run."

A few days later, my niece wanted to ride with someone on a camel again before the great Pyramids. Guess who the lucky one was.

The Belly of the Beast

2008-05-25T23:09:00.009-04:00

In all the years that I have been cooking, I am always struck by the contrast of the serenity of the dining room versus the chaos of the kitchen. A common angry response when something is not happening as quickly or as perfect as the chef would like would be to yell out that this isn't rocket science. I believe in its own way that it is. There is no tomorrow in what we do, we cannot put off a dish because we don't believe today is the day to plate this dish. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to do a rocket scientist's job but I defy them to do ours.

Unlike NYC, we don't have the luxury of having a tournant, the extra guy who can jump into a station when the chef de partie is in the tall grass. Here we are lucky if there is someone here to wash the dishes.

I used to work in restaurants where I would have to pass through the dining room in order to reach the kitchen where I would hear classical music, listen to the sounds of guests dining, enjoy the ambient temperature and then pass through the swinging doors and feel the scorching heat and the sounds of guys on the brink. On one wildly busy night, I had a guy ask me if I could stop and hold my knife while he took a picture; I stopped, of course, while thinking I have nothing better to do. On another night, I had Jeffrey Steingarten stop in the kitchen. I was working the wood oven station and he decided to have a conversation with me about Sichuan peppercorns. This would have been fine except the chef could have cared less about my guest and kept calling out orders. I have seen the toughest guys fall apart, crying on the hot line, unable to continue. In the kitchen, if you start falling behind, lose track of the orders and allow the stress to overwhelm you, no one is going to hold your hand, you will be pushed to the side and someone who can bear the load will bear it with determination and without any compassion.

On a busy evening, every restaurant workers relationship is strained and justifiably so because they are thinking of their own survival. Cooks, servers, and busboys routinely engage in confrontational behavior. A former cook recently interviewed me for a college paper on the relationship between cooks and waitstaff. Could we ever really peacefully exist was the gist. While are goals in pleasing our guests are the same; our methods of delivering this message are often divergent.

The beauty in what we do and what I love about it most is twofold. First is that everything we did today good or bad is over. Tomorrow is really a new day, no pink elephants. Another chance to have a fresh start and to do better. Second is that if we are doing what we are trained to do well, our guests will never truly see the belly of the beast.

A Culinary Oasis

2008-05-04T08:42:00.013-04:00

To say that the food in Jordan and Egypt was disappointing would be an understatement. While reviews on the Internet had readied me for a less than fabulous culinary experience, I was nonetheless surprised. Maybe we didn't venture out to the right places but when you begin your trip by getting some type of food bug at a five star hotel, you become wildly concerned about the quality of food and liquids your putting into your body. Seeing a butchered lamb being transported uncovered in the back of a pickup truck didn't help to boost our confidence.

On the left are some souvenirs we picked up in our travels.

Particularly disappointing was a lunch buffet in a restaurant in Alexandria which looked like a dated wedding facility. I wish I would have taken the time to even look at the name of the restaurant so I could warn people about it, but all I wanted to do was to quickly get as far away from it as possible. We had eaten in some pretty bad tourist trap facilities while in China but this place reset the bar to a height I can't imagine being topped. For 50 pounds (~10 bucks) you could have your fill of white rice, pasta tossed in ketchup, various meats grilled beyond identification, steamed cabbage, bread, salad and some pastries, hum hum (Egyptian for yum yum).

While indulging in my penne ketchup dish, I am rudely interrupted by a now persistent drip from a soon to fall ceiling air conditioner. This is the Egyptian version of torture.

Also disappointing were the a la carte dinners aboard the Sonesta St. Georges. It was as though the chef was reading a poorly translated European cookbook and trying out a recipe for the first time. Criticism aside, the ship was beautiful, buffets were palatable, service was topnotch and the staff were very friendly. Despite the a la carte dinners, I would still highly recommend this cruise line.

On the plus side, the pitas were typically fresh and well made with some amazing dips in some restaurants notably the Fish Market in Alexandria. Kebobs and koftas were generally reliable. Indian food at the Mena House in Cairo was very well executed. Meze was more fun than tasty in the Movenpick in Petra. The culinary highlight for my mom was a white bread sandwich (crust removed) with butter and sliced cucumbers.

You can lead a Camel to Water but.....

2008-05-04T01:41:00.010-04:00

it won't drink Egyptian wine.

In the bizillion years Egypt has had to perfect wine, what happened? I thought maybe my memory had failed me but wasn't Egypt an original pioneer in wine making?

I googled wine and Egypt and low and behold Osiris is in fact (?) a pioneer either in wine making and/or consumption.

"It is in Egypt where we must go for our fullest knowledge of man's early and deliberate growing of wine." Plutarch said that he was told that Osiris was the first to drink wine and to teach men how to plant the vine.

After drinking Egypt's modern day wines, I don't know what to make of this proverb. Maybe you don't want to see the garden.

"In water you see your own face, but in wine the heart of its garden"
ancient Egyptian proverb

If you see these wines in your travels be well advised to stay away!!!!

Drink the beer, Stella or Sakkara. If you don't like beer, drink the beer , Stella or Sakkara.

Vermont Maple Cheesecake, West View style

2008-03-31T22:37:00.010-04:00

(you probably don't get this unless you have a small child but this is from a cartoon and the character is named Cheese.)
+

=
cheesecake (our photo is coming)

We have had a lot of requests for this recipe in the last few weeks. I typically don't mind giving out recipes but scaling it for home use often presents problems. So if this doesn't come out right my math either stinks or I left a key ingredient out (only kidding on the latter). We make these in single serving sizes but making a single large one should be okay as long as the cooking time is adjusted. If anyone makes a big one, let me know.

Vermont Maple Cheesecake
Yield: 10-12 in 4 ounce ramekins

1/2 cup medium amber maple syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream

Simmer and reduce by half. Cool to room temperature.

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
454 grams mascarpone

Whip cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add eggs until combined. Scrape sides and whip until smooth. Add vanilla and mascarpone, beat until smooth. Do not over beat mascarpone will break. Add ½ cup of maple syrup/heavy cream reduction and beat until combined.
Butter and sugar molds. Bake at 325 in a hot water bath, covered. Bake for 25 minutes and remove cover to allow steam to dissipate. Recover and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Cheesecake should be slightly “jiggly” in the center when finished. Chill uncovered in refrigerator. Cover when completely cooled

Maple Pecan Cookies
Makes about 2 dozen

2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cups (4 ½ ounces) pecans, coarsely chopped

1. In a medium bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar until well blended.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk with the maple syrup and vanilla. Drizzle the egg-yolk mixture into the butter, beating at low speed until incorporated.
3. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour and pecans. Divide the dough in half and shape into 2 disks. Wrap each disk in plastic and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight. Let the dough stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before rolling it out.
4. Preheat the oven to 325° F. Roll out each disk of dough ¼ inch thick between 2 sheets of wax paper. Cut the dough into 2 ½ inch rounds and transfer to baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden (the tiny cookies we use only take 5 minutes in a convection oven).

Funny, while I am posting this How It's Made (a program on Discovery) is showing how production cheesecakes are made. Coincidence or ???.

It takes an expert village to make a tai chi video.

2008-03-26T22:21:00.013-04:00

This weekend I was fortunate enough to work with Rich Marantz on his project to create tai chi instructional videos for expertvillage.com. A filmmaker, Joseph, was sent to Manchester to film this 8 part series, each with 16 segments.

The filming was done over two days. In it Rich covered many of the Yang style postures, corresponding exercises, tai chi for seniors, martial applications and two-man drills. Rich's ability to do all these segments in a largely unscripted format and with limited retakes is a tribute to both his devotion to tai chi and his expertise in this art. I participated mainly as a partner in the two-man drills and as the crash test dummy in the martial applications.

These videos, hopefully, will prove to be useful to current students as a reference and also to prospective tai chi students.

Expert village's turnaround time is about two months from the time the videos are filmed. So stay tuned...

How Hydrocolloids Saved My Easter and the Life of a Poached Egg

2008-03-23T17:23:00.011-04:00

Joyeux Paques!!!

Frank has forever altered the picture in my head of the Easter Bunny!

So I'm making Bearnaise for our Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict and what happens in the middle of service, you guessed it, the Bearnaise breaks. However, thanks to molecular gastronomy's popularity in haute cuisine, I too have a hydrocolloid in my kitchen. A little xanthan gum and voila my Bearnaise is back together. If I only had that back in the day when I was working brunches for 400 every Sunday in NYC.

The following is our Easter menu for 2008:

Easter Sunday Brunch

Tri Color Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, Walnuts, Mesclun and Aged Balsamic

House Salad with Mesclun, Tomatoes and Soy-Citrus Vinaigrette

Crab-Tarragon Wontons with Ponzu

Grilled Shrimp with Avocado Puree, Portabella and Baby Greens

Truffle Infused Vermont Cheddar Quiche with Spinach and Bacon

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict with Sauce Bernaise

Steamed Mushroom & Chicken Dumplings
with Ginger Dipping Sauce

Cheddar Croque Monsieur with Sauce Mornay

Char Siu Bao (Chinese Roast Pork Buns)

Baby Back Ribs with Hickory Hoisin Barbecue Sauce

Duck Confit with Warm Dijon, Spinach and Fingerling Salad

Duck Liver and Foie Gras Pate with Baby Arugula and Croutons

Beer Battered Bass with Sauce Tartare and French Fries

Fellen Pollen Grilled Quail with Fingerlings, Goat Cheese & Aged Balsamic

Roasted Lamb with Couscous Salad and Tapenade

Choose two from above, $35.00 per person prix fixe including dessert
(Beverages, tax and gratuity additional)

Char Siu Bao (3 and last)

2008-03-22T13:14:00.002-04:00

Dough recipe (finally)

This is it! After much struggling, I finally have a consistent recipe, although the tackiness of the dough is something you have to develop a feel for.

Everytime, I thought I nailed a recipe, I would make it again and it would be a failure. Until this one!

Yield: 18 @ 35 grams each

1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 cup all purpose
1 tsp SAF yeast
2 1/2 tsps baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup milk
Water (this is a variable, may not need any)
2 tbsps canola oil

Everything into a mixing bowl fitted with hook. Speed 4 for ten minutes. Proof, covered for 1 hour. Portion into 35 gram balls. Roll flat to either make baotzi or mantou. If you truly want to know how to form baotzi, email me. Dough needs to be steamed for 8 minutes.

Welcome to the Stone Valley Byway (formerly known as Route 30)

2008-03-19T11:34:00.006-04:00

Our beloved Route 30 from Manchester to Poultney has been given the name the Stone Valley Byway. Sounds good and seems apppropriate given our resources in marble and slate. If you send me snail mail to 2928 Stone Valley Byway, Dorset, VT 05251, will I get it?

Stone Valley Byway: "The Stone Valley Scenic Byway features a rich background in slate and marble production, as well as incredible scenic, recreational, and cultural amenities. This segment of Vermont Route 30, spanning from Manchester to Poultney, is highlighted by mountain slopes that provide a dramatic backdrop to the rural landscape and provide access to a host of recreational opportunities. Historic, picturesque towns dot the valley floors, and rich agricultural soils have accumulated alongside the free-flowing Mettawee and Poultney Rivers. Lake St. Catherine, the State Park, golf course and many smaller water bodies along the byway corridor are exceptional natural, scenic, and recreational resources."

Champagne Beurre Blanc

2008-03-18T21:56:00.011-04:00

Don't use this.
Our Champagne Beurre Blanc is probably a little misleading. It is not made with the infamous sparkling wines of Champagne but it is made with Champagne vinegar. This vinegar like its sparkling wine cousin should only be called Champagne if it is produced within the viticultural region of Champagne. These Champagnes typically will shown Reims or Epernay as their point of origin. Originally we did use a sparkling wine, one from Limoux, but found the subtlety of the sparkling wine was lost with the intensity of the vinegar. So we switched to a French chardonnay.

Use this.

Champagne vinegar is often considered the 'king of vinegars' in France, its production process is unique and includes a carefully monitored aging in small oak barrels.

Another point one could nitpick is that we add heavy cream to our beurre blanc. I believe beurre blanc with the addition of cream is more accurately called beurre nantais. The heavy cream while unnecessary does improve the stability of the sauce. During the course of a busy restaurant service, having a stable sauce in an unstable environment is highly valued.

Classicly, butter is added slowly in little pieces over low heat. We have found that it can be done by adding the butter all at once.

2 shallots, finely chopped
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
1/4 cup white wine
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 pound butter, cold
Salt and cayenne

In a saucier, slowly reduce vinegar and white wine with shallots until dry. Over medium heat, add heavy cream and butter. Whisk constantly until butter is melted, emulsified and warm. Do not bring this to a boil, it will break. Season to taste.

Fresh cut herbs added to the sauce greatly improves the sauce's dimension.

Braised Short Ribs

2008-03-18T19:38:00.007-04:00

These ribs have been on the menu since the opening of the restaurant. I tried to take them off the menu for a while with somewhat hostile results. So now they are a fixture. We often take the oldies but goodies for granted but eating some the other day reminded me of just how good they are. There is no great secret to a great braised dish except you have to braise slowly and it's always better the next day, allowing the meat and sauce to cool together overnight. In our 'I need it NOW!' world, having dinner cook slowly in the oven for four or five hours is untenable. So you have to embrace the slower is better mentality (for this anyway). With that in mind, it's good for the home cook without a lot of time to make more than you need and freeze the leftovers. Portion out each serving in ziplock bags with some sauce and freeze. When you want to eat just drop the bag in some boiling water.

One of our regular customers was nice enough to request this recipe from Bon Appetit. This appeared in the April 2007 issue in the RSVP section.

The only difficulty in preparing this dish is being able to find this cut of meat. Often you will find flanken which is the right cut but it's too thin. We use two or three bone ribs which are cut 2 inches wide. You will probably need to make friends with your butcher (if you can find one anymore) and have him butcher it for you.

As it is often said, recipes are just guidelines. Be brave and experiment with different meats (fatty and tough), wines (red or white), beer, spice, herbs, etc. All will yield a superb product (alright not all) as long as solid cooking techniques are followed.

Go slow with your braises and you will be rewarded!!!

The Art of Stir Frying

2008-03-04T18:15:00.005-05:00

This is for you Hasso.

Simple Chinese stir-frys will generally follow a series of similar steps. It is important when stir-frying that all your ingredients are prepped and ready (mise en place) before the actual cooking process begins. Typically, diced or sliced meats are quick marinated, no more than an hour. The marinade will often consist of soy sauce, dry sherry and cornstarch. I like to add a pinch of sugar to many recipes to aid in caramelization. I don't have any written recipes for stir-frys but I will try to create some. I have been stir frying since I was a kid so the amounts and techniques all come second nature to me.

1 pound sliced chicken breast

3 tbsps soy sauce

2 tbsps dry sherry

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp garlic, minced

2 coins ginger

2 tbps canola oil

1 cup frozen peas

Slurry 1/4 cup water mixed with 2 tsps cornstarch

1 tsp sesame oil

2 scallions sliced

Method

Combine first four ingredients in a bowl. Marinate for 10 minutes.

In a wok or saute pan, over high heat add oil and ginger coins. Make sure your pan is very hot before heating your oil. This will help to insure your meat will not stick. When ginger coins have bubbled for 30 seconds, add marinated chicken. Spread the meat around the pan and don't move for about 30 seconds. This will allow for some caramelization. Then stir with a large spoon. When cooked, about 5 minutes (this will depend on how hot your stove gets), add peas and cook until hot. Add slurry and bring to boil. Add more water if there isn't enough sauce. Adjust seasoning by adding salt, pepper and/or soy sauce. Remove from heat and add sesame oil and scallions.

Notes:

Vegetables are obviously interchangeable. Fresh veggies that may require more cooking can be stir fried in a little oil and ginger first. Remove and reserve. Add to the wok when the chicken is cooked. Fresh peas, snow peas can be added while the chicken is still cooking. Maybe after 4 minutes.

Serve with plain white rice.

There is an incredible link to a Boston Globe article, which has a ground beef stir-fry that I grew up with and my son now loves. The link is: http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2004/10/31/growing_up_gourmet/

I will post more ideas, recipes and techniques on another post.

Xiao Long Bao (XLB)

2008-03-03T10:11:00.006-05:00

An early attempt to make the best complete food ever, Xiao Long Bao. A great effort wasn't made to make an exact filling so far. The goal was to try to get a skin that was thin enough and pliable enough to hold the filling and the soup. Also, we needed to develop the skills to form these little gems. We didn't have any pork skin to make the gelatinous soup so we substituted the jus that we always get whenever we make duck confit. It always proves to be wildly flavorful and highly gelatinous. We eyeballed the ground pork, seasonings and the amount of the duck jus. We will become more exacting at a later date.

The dough was our priority right now. After trying several recipes, a traditional hot water dough produced the best results. My skills at rolling the dough into thin enough disks proved to be the next challenge. Once the pleats were formed the dough at the top was always too thick. In the restaurant we make a lot of pasta dough so I thought we'd play with the pasta machine. This rolled out beautiful sheets of the dough which were then cut with a cookie cutter.

A word to the wise, be careful with the water level of your steaming a liquid. While surfing the web, my steaming water dried up and set the steamer ablaze. Ooops!

Will post more on this topic, as recipes and techniques develop.

Char Siu Bao (2)

2008-03-03T09:52:00.005-05:00

We have pretty much nailed the vital aspects of making a respectable char siu bao. The dough has been improved with the addition of a small amount of yeast and using cake flour. The cake flour which is bleached produces a baotzi that has its traditonal snowy white color (which appears to be a requisite) and makes the finished product a little lighter. I will post the recipe shortly.

The recipe for the filling is as follows (this is not the marinade- think lee kum kee):

2 2-ounce ladles oyster sauce
2 1.5-ounce ladles kecap manis
2 2-ounce ladles ketchup
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/4 cup water
2 1.5 ounce ladles sesame oil

Combine all ingredients.

Sweat 1/2 cup diced onions. Add 3 diced Chinese roast pork tenderloins and 1 tablespoon dry sherry. Stiry fry for 2 minutes. Chill.

Evolution of a Dessert

2008-02-28T22:39:00.007-05:00

The dessert in the photo was our New Year's Eve dessert for 2007. The plan initially was to do individual tiramisu in chocolate bags. The bags proved to be too difficult for us to produce with any great consistency. So the chocolate band replaced the bag. This was done quite simply by painting acetate with a chocolate and butter mixture and then hardening it into our desired shape. While experimenting with the design, we didn't have enough Kahlua so we used Amaretto as a replacement. An Amaretto-mascarpone cream was made and an Amaretto soaking liquid was created. Two little discs of a classical Pan di Spagna were used as the cake layers. At this point of development, we tasted what would ultimately be the core of the dessert, and decided we really liked the almond flavors. We then decided to add toasted almonds, mixed berries and a raspberry sauce to finish the dessert. For the final product, we added a little Kahlua in the soaking liquid to add a subtle dimension and to pay homage to the desserts secret origin.

Photo to the left is the production during dinner service for New Year's Eve. The poor girl in the photo had to make 100 of these.

Noodles in Xian

2008-02-26T09:07:00.000-05:00

Starting to review video taken while in China almost a year ago. This video of noodle making is pretty remarkable. The uniformity of each noodle would certainly have left you to believe they were cut by machine.

Happy Chinese New Year

2008-02-25T22:07:00.000-05:00

We celebrated the New Year with three nights of special banquet dinners on February 6, 7 and 8 at the Inn. It always strikes me as being odd that I'm doing these dinners here in VT. It is a nice change for us in the kitchen to swap out our French steel pans for big old woks. The only time butter is no longer within arms reach.

Our menu while not necessarily a traditional New Year's menu, does attempt to capture the essence of many of the dishes I have grown up with.

The menu was as follows:

Pickled daikon, cucumber and seaweed
Pan fried chicken & shitake dumplings and pork & cabbage springrolls
Winter melon soup with Smithfield ham
Tempura shrimp with broccoli and honey mayonnaise
Chicken sang choy bao
Beef with scallions
Long beans with tofu
Pork mantou with cucumbers
Bass baked in brik dough (stuffed inside were julienned ginger, ham and scallions)
Fried rice
Almond gelee with mixed fruit

Char Siu Bao

2008-02-25T14:07:00.001-05:00

Attempting to re-create the Chinese classic- Char Siu Bao. This is one of the only Chinese foods my niece will eat. It must be good!

The Char Siu on the left is from our favorite local place on Long Island and the one on the right is our creation.

Both have top notch flavors with subtle differences. Note the difference in colors; the one brought up to VT from LI is whiter due to the use of bleached flour. While I'm fond of the snowy white color, I like that the flour we are using is King Arthur's flour and has not been bleached. The LI version is also a little puffier which I like so we will still be working on this. Yeast or self rising cake flour may be the missing link.

I should note that we did make the char siu with lee kum kee brand char siu sauce. Having worked in Chinese kitchens, I suspect that most are using some prepared product as the marinade. We used pork tenderloins, cut into strips and marinated over night. In order to achieve the slightly charred quality of traditional char siu, I not only cooked the pork in the oven but charred them in a salamander.