Apple Fennel Salad

Yes, it has been a damn long time since I've posted, but that doesn't mean I've stopped thinking about you guys. This past year has been an absolute whirlwind for me, and when I'm ready, I'll tell you all about it. But for now, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and the best wishes for a healthy and happy New Year.

Here is an awesome recipe that I've been hanging on to that I'm excited to share with you!

This recipe makes 4-6 servings.

Apple Fennel Salad
(Adapted from Michael Smith, Chef at Home)

Vinaigrette
- 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored (cut in quarters and thinly sliced)
- 3/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup of water
- 1 Tbsp of Dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp of brown sugar
- salt and pepper to taste

Salad
- 1 fennel bulb, sliced thinly
- 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cored (cut in quarters and thinly sliced)
- 1/2 tsp dried mint
- 1/4 cup of roasted pumpkin seeds, salted
- extra virgin olive oil

Method
1. In a sauce pan over medium heat, heat the vinaigrette ingredients: apple cider vinegar, water, Dijon mustard, brown sugar, and two Granny Smith apples. Turn off heat once vinaigrette comes to a boil. Set aside until cool.

2. Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl: fennel bulb, Granny Smith apple, dried mint, roasted pumpkin seeds. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over the salad. Pour the cooled vinaigrette over the salad. Mix well. Serve chilled.

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Danks Street Depot, Sydney

Just celebrated my first Anzac Day, Australia's equivalent to Remembrance day. A bunch of us got together for BBQ, ate excessive amounts of food, and then headed to the pubs to play two-up.
Two-up is a coin toss game that is traditionally played across Aussie pubs on Anzac day. The concept is dead simple, but the game itself is heaps of fun. Two coins are tossed, and you place your bet on either heads or tails. The cool part is that you have to find someone in the crowd to bet with. For example, if you want to place $20 on heads, you have to find someone in the crowd who is willing to place $20 on tails.

Everyone is screaming and yelling with anticipation, and you end up making friends with strangers in the process because of the interactive nature of the game. Like I said, heaps of fun. The pic below was taken just as the coin was tossed...as you can see, everyone is crowding around to see if they've made any money.

Playing Two-up on Anzac Day

The best way to recover from an eventful Anzac Day is to head out for a late brunch the day after. We decided to meet up at Danks Street Depot.

Started by Jared Ingersoll and Melanie Starr, Danks Street Depot is a place that truly places value on eating local, and supporting farmers who use sustainable farming practices. They have even implemented an "All Australian" policy across their menu.

Danks Street Depot recently started a composting process where they have harvested enough soil to grow cool herbs such as stevia and lilly pilly. Their goal is for it to grow large enough to support the restaurant one day.

As soon as we sat down, we all ordered coffee to give us a jolt.

As for lunch, my friend Rinaldo and I both ordered the Cock-a-Leekie. A warm, hearty dish of biodynamic Cornucopia beef and organic chicken poached in a chicken broth with leek and barley. The dish was finished with some cooked prunes on top.

I loved the addition of the prunes. My mother-in-law often cooks prune with meat, and it is something I have learned to love. I squished the prunes into my leek and barley sauce, and enjoyed the sweet/salty combo.

Cock-a-Leekie

CK ordered the hot beef sandwich: braised beef and caramelized onions on schiacatta (Italian flat bread) topped with jus and served with crispy salt & vinegar chat potatoes. His sandwich was very nice.

Hot Braised Beef Sandwich

JM ordered the Moroccan pie. This was a delicious stew of pure bred Suffolk roasted lamb, potatoes, chickpeas and raisins, topped with a super flaky butter puff pastry. This was delicious and was perfect for the occasion.

Moroccan Lamb Pie

I couldn't help but snap another picture once JM dug into it. We call her Monica Geller because she, like Monica, is an obsessive, neurotic clean freak. Of course, while I was taking this photo, JM kept saying that she would have eaten her pie in a much cleaner way had she known I was going to take a photo. Silly girl.

Moroccan Lamb Pie

Danks Street Depot
1/2 Danks Street
Waterloo, NSW, Australia
Telephone: (02) 9698 2201

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Bills, Sydney

Hey everyone....so I'm back! Back to blogging that is.

I've finally settled in Sydney, and things are well! Gosh, where to start. My life has pretty much been go go go the last 2 months. Busy with moving, work, travel, and spending lots of time with family and friends!

I didn't realize how awesome of a network of family and friends I had in Ottawa until I had to move! It was so sad to say bye. Luckily, technology has made it incredibly easy to keep in touch. In fact, I think I talk to my family and friends more now than I did when I lived in Ottawa! Thank god for Skype and BlackBerry Messenger ;)

I thought that my move to Sydney would be a tough one, but its been the exact opposite! I basically packed my entire life in one large suitcase and that was it! Moving from a 4-bedroom house to a 400-square foot apartment has made me realize how much stuff we can live without!

The first thing I did when I arrived in Sydney was find a yoga studio and a gym to join. Gotta take care of myself! Second was to go out and buy a BlackBerry (which I've come to realize I cannot live without). I added everyone I knew to BlackBerry Messenger to prevent homesickness. Then, I called and emailed everyone I knew in Sydney so that I could add THEM to BlackBerry Messenger! In between all of that, I reconnected with my hubby and ate lots of good food! Now, I feel like I've been living in Sydney for years...amazing! All it took was a bit of food, a bit of exercise, and bit of technology. The basics right?

One of the first places I ate at was Bills, one of my favorite spots for breakfast! It is a well known spot amongs Sydneysiders and it is owned by beloved Chef Bill Granger. As I have mentioned in the past, they have the creamiest scrambled eggs that are to die for.

I had only ate at the Bills in Surry Hills, so my friend JM and I decided to check out the one in Darlinghurst. I think we drove around in circles about 10 times because the building was hard to spot. There was no visible sign, and the numbering of the buildings wasn't so intuitive...at least it's not when you're driving :) We finally had to call the restaurant to help us get there.

Bills, Sydney

As soon as I sat down, I ordered a flat white...aaahhh, my favorite Aussie coffee drink. For some reason, the flat white is just one of those comfort familiar foods (drink in this case) that instantly puts me at ease.

Flat White

I ordered the half order of organic scrambled eggs with sourdough toast, and sides of roasted tomatoes & aged cheddar. When you first look at the menu, you may think, "what the? Scrambled eggs and toast for $13.50...and no sides?" But trust me, it is worth it. These eggs are made with love, mixed in with a lot of cream and butter, producing the silkiest, fluffiest tasting eggs you'll ever have. The full order comes with 5 eggs and the 1/2 order comes with 3 eggs.

Organic Scrambled Eggs with Sourdough Toast, Tomatoes, and Aged Cheddar

JM ordered the tartine of fresh ricotta and cured ocean trout on Iggy’s organic sourdough, with a radish, caper and parsley salad. Their ocean trout was delicious, and I loved the dill ricotta mix.

Tartine of Ricotta and Cured Ocean Trout

 

Another thing Bills is known for is their ricotta hot cakes with honeycomb butter & bananas, which I must try the next time I go.

The location in Darlinghurst has a nice old French cafe feel, while the one in Surry Hills has a more modern feel. Either way, their eggs are good! That's all you need to know.

 

Bills

433 Liverpool Street

Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia

Telephone: (02) 9360 9631

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Updates and Talk to You Soon...

So lots of updates and changes coming my way...

I know I've been a little MIA lately, but with good reason. I have been travelling non-stop for the last few weeks, and it is finally catching up to me. I wish I could share more meals with you from Vegas, Hong Kong, and Singapore, but I am just pooped.

Aside from being tired, I have important news. I will be moving to Australia! CK and I have been talking about this for a while now, but I recently made the decision to go for it. It is official, and I have informed my family, friends, and work!

It's all been very emotionally taxing really. I feel like I am stepping off an extremely long road, and that I'm about to take a turn on to a new path.

I have decided to take a small break from blogging. I want to be free from it for a little while, and just be me.

I look forward to eating freely without worrying about taking photos of everything. I look forward to working out regularly again. And, I look forward to just relaxing during my hours off.

À bientôt...ta!

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Pomegranate & Jello

Let me start by telling you a little story about myself. I used to hate Jello. I've always found it a very annoying food to eat. You can't drink it, but chewing it is awkward. When eating Jello, I always felt as though I never chewed my food properly before swallowing.

But, for some reason, I never bothered telling anybody that I didn't like Jello when I was a kid. Beebs, my sister, loved it, so I pretended to love it too. As a result, we ate Jello ALL the time at home. As soon as I got old enough to refuse food without insulting my parents, I stopped eating Jello permanently...until recently that is.

I first had this awesome (and super easy) Jello dessert in Memphis at a dinner party. It is healthy and refreshing, and this is a really fun dessert to eat. I enjoy the different textures in this Jello and I love how the juices from the pomegranate burst in between my teeth each time I bite into the crunchy seeds.

Pomegranate & Jello is a Persian dessert. Traditionally, the Jello is made from scratch, but with the invention of instant Jello, there is no need to make it from scratch (unless you are making a flavor that is not available in instant form).

You can use any Jello flavor your taste buds desire. My favorite is the cherry flavor. For dinner parties, this is normally served in a big serving bowl, where the guests dig in and eat it buffet style. I decided to serve them in clear wine glasses, but you can use pretty much anything you wish.

Pomegranate & Jello
- 2 packages of instant Jello (any flavor)
- 2 cups of pomegranate seeds

Method
1. Make the Jello according to package instructions.

2. In your serving dish of choice, layer the Jello and pomegranate seeds. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds on top until most of the surface is covered. Chill for 30 minutes. Serve cold.

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Sage, Las Vegas

My second dinner in Vegas was at Sage in the Aria City Center hotel. Owned by critically acclaimed Chef Shawn McClain, Sage is a chic upscale restaurant serving contemporary American cuisine.

Chef and Restaurateur Shawn McClain is also the owner of well known Chicago restaurants Spring, Green Zebra, and Custom House. McClain has built a name for himself nationally, and has won numerous awards over the recent years including "Rising Star Chef of the Year" at the Jean Banchet Awards in 2002, and "Best Chef Midwest" from the James Beard Foundation in 2006.

Reservations are recommended if you want to dine here. I called about an hour ahead but the staff informed me that there were no tables available for the evening. However, if I could make it down in 5 minutes, they could give me a table. JL and I had already made plans with a friend to dine at Sage, so we ran down to hold the fort until our friend M was ready to join us.

Our meal started with an artichoke amuse bouche. The artichoke was served with bacon, fennel, and grape foam. I had hoped that the bacon would add a salty element to this dish, but it was more on the sweet side.

Artichoke, Bacon, Fennel, and Grape Foam

I couldn't decide between two starters, so I ordered them both.

The first was the charred baby octopus salad served in a creamy mild sauce with pine nuts, eggplant caponata, Sylvetta arugula, and golden raisins. I didn't care much for the sauce but the octopus was cooked very nicely and tickled my fancy.

Charred Baby Octopus Salad

By the time my second starter arrived, M finally joined us, so I shared my Hawaiian hearts of palm salad with him. This was a light and refreshing salad served with heirloom apples, crispy potato roesti, horseradish cream, and red onion jam. The potato roesti and red onion jam were delicious, especially so when eaten together.

Hawaiian Hearts of Palm Salad

JL ordered the grilled wild mushroom salad. This was a nice salad consisting of grilled wild mushrooms, baby lettuce, warm Robiola cheese, toasted Marcona almonds, and aged sherry vinaigrette. JL could not stop raving about this salad.

Grilled Wild Mushroom Salad

After the three of us placed our order for mains, the bread came out. They do not serve ordinary white or brown rolls here, the only choice is their bacon baguette. It was a nice change, and the bacon added a hint of saltiness to the bread that was not overpowering. The bread was served with Australian sea salt and house-whipped butter.

Bacon Baguette

My main was the melt in your mouth, super tender braised veal cheeks. The braised cheeks were served on top of a creamy polenta with confit peppers. It was topped with a light Picholine olive and shaved fennel salad. Everything about this dish was right, and I loved the polenta and veal cheek pairing.

Braised Veal Cheeks

M ordered the roasted day boat scallops. The scallops were giant and cooked perfectly. I did have slight food envy when I took a bite, but quickly forgot about it when I bit into my veal cheek. The scallops were served with wild mushrooms, broccolini, and a very nice salted caramel reduction.

Roasted Day Boat Scallops

JL ordered the Belgian ale-braised short rib. This was served with winter greens, preserved orange, and fondant potatoes. Like the veal cheek, this was melt in your mouth. Of the two, the veal cheek was a tad more tender.

Belgian Ale-Braised Short Rib

We were all stuffed by the end of our meal, and was just not able to stomach a proper dessert. Luckily, the chef brought us each a complimentary shot of vanilla spiced chocolate soup, which hit the spot.

Vanilla Spiced Chocolate Soup

Sage was a great choice. Of the 6 restaurants we tried in Aria hotel, Sage was definitely my favorite.

 

Sage

Casino Level of Aria Hotel
3730 Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Telephone: 702-590-7757

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Julian Serrano, Las Vegas

After spending a week in Las Vegas, I'm pretty sure that this city has the highest concentration of fine dining restaurants in the US. No matter where you are on the strip, there is likely a highly rated (or Michelin starred) restaurant right around the corner.

I ate mostly in the Aria hotel. After a long day of walking, I usually head back to my room to freshen up before dinner. By that time, the last thing I want to do is go out and walk some more. On my first night in Vegas, I ate at the closest restaurant I could find, which happened to be Julian Serrano. It is right beside the hotel lobby, and is also a 15 second walk from the guest room elevators.
Chef Julian Serrano is best known for his creative French/Spanish fusion dishes at Picasso (a 2 star Michelin restaurant) in the Bellagio hotel.

At the newly opened Julian Serrano restaurant, the Chef goes back to his roots and focuses on simple Spanish tapas dishes.

Julian Serrano Restaurant

The interior of the restaurant is colorful and festive, upscale yet casual at the same time.

Bar at Julian Serrano

After a long day of travelling with hours of flight delays, my friend JL and I decided to have a small dinner.

First was the golden and red beet salad with a citrus sherry vinaigrette. I adore beets, and anyone who knows me well will know that this dish was my choice. This was honestly a piece of art...simply beautiful. The beets were served with green leafs, citrus slices, and mild jelly cubes.

Golden and Red Beet Salad

Next was the mixed baby romaine salad served with Cabrales cheese, walnuts, and piquillo peppers. The cheese was absolutely divine: smoky with a hint of spiciness. The dish didn't look like much, but it was a great blend of tastes.

Mixed Baby Romaine Salad

The pan manchengo was a nice simple dish: toasted bread, fresh tomato sauce, slices of 1 year old manchego cheese, and LOTS of garlic.

Pan Manchengo

The tuna tiradito was beautifully presented. Tiradito is a Peruvian ceviche. It is mild in taste and the fish is thinly sliced, like sashimi. This dish consisted of ahi tuna, ponzu sauce, seaweed, and rocoto pepper sauce. The seaweed added nice texture and the pepper sauce (surrounding the fish) gave it a nice spicy kick.

Tuna Tiradito

My chicken loving friend, JL, ordered the marinated garlic chicken and mushroom skewer. This was served with chilindron sauce, a basic Spanish tomato sauce. JL loved this dish.

Marinated Garlic Chicken and Mushroom Skewer

Dessert was Santiago's cake, an almond cake with caramelized nuts, and turrón ice cream. Turrón is a Spanish nougat that is traditionally served at Christmas time. This dish, like all the rest, was simple and fresh.

Julian Serrano

Casino Level of Aria Hotel

3730 Las Vegas Blvd

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Telephone: 702-590-7757

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Hummus

As I was cleaning my mess of a desk, I found a hummus recipe that my cousin had given me at our family Christmas party 2 years ago!

Yes, you heard right...2 years ago. That is how long I have left things to accumulate on my desk until I couldn't use it anymore. You see, I am so used to using my laptop in bed that my desk has become somewhat obsolete.
Unfortunately, using my laptop in bed has given me bad back aches, and I no longer sleep well anymore. Egad, I feel like I'm getting old. I'm using the word egad, I must be getting old ;-)

I decided to clean up my desk and set up a proper office so that I could separate my computer life from my sleep time. In the process, I found this recipe.

I'm so glad I found this recipe because it is as good as I remembered it. The cumin is the secret ingredient. Shhhhh.

Hummus
- 2 cans (540 mL, 19 fl oz. each) of chickpeas, drained
- 1/4 cup of cold water
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 lemons, juice
- 4 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup of tahini
- 1/4 tsp of ground cumin
- dash of ground pepper
- 1 large pinch of cayenne pepper

Method
1. Combine all of the ingredients in the food processor and process until smooth.

There is no need to add salt as the canned chickpeas are already salty. I like my hummus really lemony, so if you don't, I would start with the juice of 1 lemon and go from there. If you like your hummus even creamier, simply add more oil.

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Postcard from Las Vegas

Hello from Las Vegas!!!

I'm having a great time in Sin City but you know what? I hated Vegas the first time I ever visited. The only explanation I can come up with was that I was overwhelmed by the tackiness and grandness of it all.

Vegas has definitely grown on me. It is still tacky, but it is also a lively and fun city. Plus, the food is GREAT here. Can't wait to show you what I ate.

We are staying at the newly opened Aria Hotel, a contemporary development that also happens to be the largest LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Ceritified development in the world. Aria Hotel is the first hotel on the strip to generate its own electricity, and all of their limousines are clean fuel vehicles.

Aria Hotel

What's really cool is that all the rooms are controlled by touch screen tablets. The lights, temperature, TV, curtains, and music are all controlled by a touch screen remote right beside your bed. I've been hooked on their soul shack music station. Lovin the tunes by Barry White, Marvin Gaye, Ben E. King, Donna Summer, etc. etc.

Check out my awesome view overlooking the strip and surrounding mountains.

View From Aria Hotel

Upon my arrival, I was greeted with chocolate dipped strawberries, fresh Fiji water, and a thank you card. How nice!!

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

I never left the strip on my last trip to Vegas, so this time, I made sure to check out the surrounding area.

On the first day, I went to El Dorado Canyon to Techatticup Mine, the most famous and most successful gold mine in Southern Nevada. It is now a ghost town that mainly caters to tourists.

Techatticup Mine

The Techatticup Mine was also the set of the movies 3000 Miles to Graceland, and Breakdown.

Techatticup Mine

Look how old and charming everything is!

Barn at Techatticup Mine

Techatticup Mine Museum

An old milkshake maker. How neat.

Old Milk Shake Maker at Techatticup Mine Museum

They also offer really cool mine tours where you get to experience first hand what it was like being a miner in the 1800's.

Techatticup Mine Tour Entrance

Other activities included ATV'ing and horse back riding. Techatticup Mine is a really fun and interesting place to visit. So glad we stumbled upon this charming little area.

ATV and Horse Back Riding at Techatticup Mine

Aria Hotel
3730 Las Vegas Blvd.
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Telephone: 702-590-7757

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