Pham Fatale Recipe Feed

Happy New Year 2009: Pham Fatale's 1st Blog Anniversary

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 01:20:07 CST

Today's a special day for me. Of course, it's New Year's Day, but today also marks the first anniversary for PhamFatale.com. I can't believe I've been blogging every single day for an entire year.

Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:20:50 CST

Salted caramel is a wonderfully complex flavor. When combined with hot chocolate, it provides plenty of stimulation for your taste buds. All of this is wrapped in a velvety blanket of milk and heavy cream that is perfect for relaxing away an evening.

Lya received three boxes of cocoa mix from her secret Santa at school. Everyone was so crazy about the salted cocoa mix that we ran out very fast. The girls asked if we could make our own from scratch. The result: a lot of fun and a delicious new recipe to ring in the New Year!

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Asian Style Warm Potato Salad

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 23:06:16 CST

This potato salad is made with a medley of Japanese white sweet potatoes, yams, Yukons and Peruvian purples. The different varieties provide a contrast of both flavor and color. To give the salad an Asian flair, I also added bok choy and several types of mushrooms. The dressing, made of honey, rice vinegar, soy sauce and ginger paste, helps tie the flavors of the vegetables together.

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Raspberry Trifle (Charlotte aux Framboises)

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 04:58:43 CST

At first blush, charlotte aux framboises closely resembles an Italian tiramisu. The lady fingers and cream are where the similarities end though. This recipe is made with raspberry extract, fresh raspberries and raspberry sauce. For a more grownup treat, you can use framboise, which is a raspberry-flavored liqueur. Charlottes are traditionally made with fromage blanc, which is a thick yogurt that you can find in any market in France. I didn't have any, so I substituted mascarpone in instead. It's delicious either way.

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Vietnamese Tamarind Sweet Crab (Cua Rang Me)

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 02:30:50 CST

Vietnamese-style tamarind crab (cua rang me in Vietnamese) is an incredibly simple, yet absolutely mouth-watering dish. The real key to making this dish successfully is to have the freshest crab you can get. The roughly cracked pieces of crab are stir fried in a sweet and sour tamarind sauce. The sauce is made of tamarind, chili, Thai basil and garlic. The Thai basil imparts an intense fragrance to the sauce, and by extension, to the crab.

We eat this dish family style. No pretense here. Just get a large platter, fill it with the tamarind crab and put it in the middle of your dinner table. We don't have enough meat eaters in my house, so I always call over a couple of family members or friends to share in the bounty. Roll up your sleeves, and dig in!

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Ina Garten's Lemon Pasta (Recipe Review)

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 02:33:46 CST

I love Ina Garten. I watch her show religiously and I have read through each and every one of her cookbooks. I'm especially fond of Barefoot Contessa at Home. I've tried several of the recipes featured in this cookbook and they've turned out fabulously. My family's favorite is lemon fusilli with arugula. I love the creaminess and velvety texture of the sauce. The lemon zest brightens the dish and the arugula and broccoli help to cut some of the richness. The pasta is served warm with a generous sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Matcha Green Tea Latte

Sat, 26 Dec 2009 01:08:34 CST

I prepared my matcha green tea latte with the same procedure one would use for making white hot chocolate. The drink is made with a blend of lightly sweetened matcha green tea, white chocolate, steamed milk and heavy cream. You wouldn't want to drink this every day, but that's what holiday treats are all about!

This recipe can be modified to feature many different seasonal flavors. Peppermint, cinnamon and other spices come to mind. You don't have to go to the local coffee shop to enjoy holiday specials anymore; be your own barista and save the change for stocking stuffers.

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Merry Christmas! (plus Christmas Brunch Recipes)

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 00:36:09 CST

Hi Everyone, Our family is spending the holidays in Las Vegas. We're eating a lot and having so much fun. I just wanted to stop by and wish a very merry Christmas to you and your loved ones. I hope Santa brought whatever it is that you wanted. xoxo Jackie

Christmas Menu Ideas

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 04:07:48 CST

Spices. Cream. And Butter. Lots of butter. That's the trinity that comes to my mind when I think of Christmas dishes. The fare is decadent comfort food, but with an elegant touch. If you could use some inspiration in preparing your Christmas dinner menu, I've listed some suggestions below that your family and friends will love. Eat, drink and be merry!

Mango and Coconut Yule Log Cake (Buche de Noel)

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:17:49 CST

Bûche de Noël is known by many names. Whether you call it a Yule Log, roulade or simply a roll cake, few desserts are as synonymous with Christmas. For this recipe, the roll cake I used is a simple, coconut-flavored génoise. It's basically a sponge cake. The filling is a mango and rum ganache and I made a chocolate rum butter-cream to cover the log.

When I was a kid in France, we used to buy a Yule Log every year. It may seem strange, but the flavor we would always get was mango. It's like a warm tropical breeze on a cold winter night. Though mango is clearly not a traditional holiday flavor, once you try this Bûche de Noël, you won't go back to vanilla and chocolate.

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