Discovery Weekend: Getting away from it all along the Elk Coast, California

See... everything is laid back.

Our recent get-away inspired me to write this latest post. Although this may be more travel, than gourmet, there is just something in Elk that inspires one to write. I had originally planned to write about my new baking adventures, but that will just need to be put on hold.

We have enjoyed the Mendocino Coast many times, but we have never been in this part of the coast. Elk is one of those small towns where if you blink, you may miss it – actually, I think it may be a bit larger (maybe you need to blink twice).

We stayed at the Greenwood Pier Inn. The Inn is an impressive bed and breakfast that overlooks the beautiful Greenwood cove.  From our charming suite in the North Tower, we had an amazing view of the gardens and a partial view of the ocean. The gardens are wonderful, but the ocean views were absolutely amazing.

Elk does not have many restaurants, perhaps two or three. Fortunately, our inn also has a café that is open from 5-ish to 9(-ish), so you can relax, meditate, or simply rest and walk for less than 5 minutes to your dinner. 

Do not expect prompt service though. Everything is so laid back in Elk; the innkeeper, who also runs the café, explained that they do take their time in making dinner, especially come the evening rush. My husband and I coined the term: “Elk Time.” It is somewhere in between Hawaiian Time and Tahitian Time. Think of it as waiting for dinner at someone’s home -- dinner will be served when it’s ready. Wine, however, is always flowing.

Being near the Sonoma Wine Country, we had excellent wine. The house white Sauvignon Blanc at the Greenwood Pier Café was good and was only five dollars (It was billed the “Best $5 wine you can ever have”). Entrée portions were really huge as well. We started with delicious plump prawns with a light cocktail sauce - not overpowering at all.

The seafood pasta was worth the wait. It was a lot of food and good enough for two people. You can taste the freshness of the mussels, prawns, and fish. It was so big, that we did not save room for dessert.

We had breakfast delivered to our door, at around 8:30. It was perfect for the two of us: fruit, granola, cupcakes, and orange juice. It also had milk, but I should have requested for soy (but I doubt Elk has it). If you want a warmer breakfast, try out Queenie’s Roadhouse at the other end of town (about a 5 minute walk, or 10 minutes, Elk-time).

Breakfast in a Basket

If you want a quicker breakfast, check out the Elk Store. They have an awesome deli with vintage coolers from the 30’s and 40’s. 

The Elk Store is a great place to get breakfast, provisions for a picnic lunch, and even items for dinner. The chocolate chip cookies were really good, and the carrot cake and lemon cheesecake looked awesome (I should have bought a slice – but it was gigantic).

For our next evening, we had a light dinner at Bridget Dolan’s Inn and Pub next door. My husband had a craving for Chicken Pot Pie ever since he saw it on the menu. Appetizers and the entrée were good, but they do work on their presentation. We had a beautifully arranged beet salad (although the beets tasted like they were probably from a can) and Chicken Pot Pie of course. The crust on the pie was perfect!

Beet Salad - Great Arrangement

Good old-fashioned comfort food: Chicken Pot Pie

Best part of this dinner was dessert. We had a huge butterscotch bread pudding with whiskey sauce and whipped cream! Delicious!

Elk was a perfect place to get-away: perhaps it’s the gorgeous views of the ocean, the stunning seaside bluffs, or the clear starry night sky.

Oh, did I mention: one cannot get cell reception and the WIFI was spotty, if non-existent. It was a great place to detox, digitally and otherwise.

Besides with views like this, who needs a cell phone? Well, maybe one for pictures….

Applesauce-Oat Bran Muffins

I have been baking my breakfast for the week on Saturdays and muffins have been my staple. What can you not love about muffins: it is portable, can be savory or sweet (admittedly, I opt for the sweet ones), and one can stuff them with anything they want.

I have been opting for low- to non-fat muffins so I can have my fat elsewhere (Think peanut butter, people!). I also want to increase my fiber intake so I’ve been using a lot of oats and oat bran. I found this Banana-oat bran recipe in Food.com which I can use as a starter recipe.

Obviously, I have been using this for quite a while and the recipe needs to be cleaned up. I am using this week’s post to do so and share it with you folks.

Here’s what I have for now. Let me know what you think.

Mad Gourmet Applesauce-Oat Bran Muffins

Based on Banana-Oat Bran Muffins from Food.com

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup of applesauce
• 1/2 cup of oat bran
• 1/4 cup of oats
• 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup of sugar (use white sugar, if you want more rise)
• 1/4 cup of almond milk
• 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp of nutmeg (optional)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp of baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup of walnuts (optional)
• 1/4 cup of raisins (optional)
• 2 Tbsp of butter, melted
• 1 Tbsp of chia seeds (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Spray muffin pan with non-stick spray.
3. Combine oats, oat bran, applesauce, and vanilla. Set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
5. Add the melted butter and milk in the applesauce-oat bran mixture.
6. Combine dry ingredients to wet. I usually do the reverse, but in this case there is more wet ingredients and it  is just more practical.
7. Fold in nuts, raisins and chia seeds, if using.
8. Divide batter among 10 muffin cups.
9. Bake about 20 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins come clean.
10. Transfer to a rack and cool.
11. Serve warm or just grab one to go.

Verdict

This has been my go-to muffin recipe for breakfast. I have tried other delicious recipes, but this is the one I use most often. I do vary the flavor: maybe using bananas (and coconut oil) for a more tropical twist. I omit the cinnamon and nutmeg though for the banana muffins and boost the vanilla. Sometimes, I add chocolate chips, nibs, or both.

It does use a lot of ingredients, but you can simplify by using just the 1/2 cup of oat bran and 3/4 cup of flour. I really just want to boost my fiber intake. If you want a gluten-free version, you can probably use rice flour or quinoa flour. You may need to bake it 5 minutes more when using quinoa.

Other subs? Almond milk instead of regular milk (dairy does not agree with me too much). I am also watching my sugar intake, so I more often use agave or a combination of thereof. If you use agave, you may end up with breakfast cakes since it would not rise as much.

For a vegan alternative, use olive oil instead of butter or just omit the oil altogether (I have by accident, It will be as moist enough).

Discovery Weekends: Inspirations

I’ve been looking through my iPhone photos (all 1,895 of them) and have realized that I have been remiss in some of my discovery adventures. In this post, I am going to focus on my inspirations for my future projects from Bay Area restaurants.

From Lazy Dog Restarant, Concord: Delicious Sticky Hawaiian Ribs, Unami Fries and Asian Slaw. I got to learn how to make ribs - maybe via the slow-cooker.

From Bocanova, Jack London Square, Oakland: Short-rib Empanadas - got to make empanadas before the weather gets warmer. It has been my goal. These were delicious and inspiring.

Also from Bocanova, Yucca Cheese Fritters. I've never worked with yucca before so this may be a good starter.

From Rustic Tavern, Lafayette, a delicious cod sandwich and truffle fries. The cod was very light and the fries... well, they got me at "truffle." In the background is my new vice... Ginger Beer.

Also from Rustic Tavern, Fettucine Carbonara - Did you see those chunks of bacon? Portions were really huge (We also shared a delicious salad to start). Unfortunately, we did not save room for their famous Mason Jar cheesecake. Got to return (and just share an entrée)!!!

From DJ's Bistro in Concord: Don't let the name fool you - this place is a really good German restaurant. I ordered the Jaegerschintzel because I had a craving and I have never made it before. 'Should attempt to make it with some spaetzle for my German-American husband.

From Fiore Italian Restaurant in Concord: Gnocchi Marsala - seems to be a good Marsala sauce starter recipe... and my husband loves Marsala. I still think of Fiore as Mediterranean cuisine - they have delicious tagines.

Also from Fiore, a not-so-traditional paella, half-order. I do like the presentation.

And their desserts look fantastic! I think this was a Berry Tartlet. Look at the wonderful design... I think this clearly shows their Mediterranean roots.

Speaking of desserts, From La Sen French Bistro in Concord, Apple tartlets. Reminds me of a portable apple pie... or empanada. Their food is delicious; we shared the French Onion Soup, Lamb Shank, and the tartlet for a sweet ending. The other pictures just came out too dark.

Sigh, too many recipes, too little time. To add to the clichés, "it has been a year since I started my blog". I have been posting almost every week. Because of this, I really have not had enough time to play with new ingredients, transform or develop recipes, and write. It has been a frantic schedule, and as you can see I have a backlog. So for Year Two, I will start posting twice a month to give me time to experiment, play, and most importantly, eat...err, discover.

Until next post...in about two weeks or so.

Chicken Tinola

I know I said that my last two stew posts were my favorite dish, and this next one is no exception. It may be my uber-fave. It has chicken, ginger, and green papaya. Where else can it go wrong. I am talking about Chicken Tinola.

I love this dish because I was a chicken addict when I was a kid. Anything chicken I would eat. I remember my Dad bringing home KFC and that was a big deal for me. Loved it (and I actually still do – I just do not eat it as much).

But again, I digress…

Green Papaya - about the size of a small football

I rarely see tinola in the Filipino eateries around here., so again, I had no choice but make it. Since this was going to be a cold rainy weekend, it seemed appropriate to have something warming.

The challenge again was procurement, but unlike the Puchero, this requires less ingredients. The first time I made this, I tried to get green papaya at the Filipino supermarket (Seafood City) but they did not have it. I do not think they had hot pepper leaves as well… so off to Ranch 99 I go (Ranch 99 is another Asian super grocery store).

The first time I attempted to make this, Ranch 99 did not have green papaya. They did have unripe Hawaiian papaya which seemed to be a good substitute. The second time I made this they had Green Papaya from Mexico. It was meant to be.

Do not use ripe papaya: it needs to firm enough to simmer in broth. Ripe papaya will probably disintegrate (and would probably result in a weird sweet-salty flavor). Best to save the ripe papaya for dessert.

Darn, now I am craving for papaya.

You do need to cut the papaya into wedges. Hopefully the pictures below will help on how to do it.

This is what it looks like inside. No seeds yet.

Wedgies! I do remove the white stuff on the inside where the seeds usually go.

I have seen recipes sing chayote squash instead. Although it will probably be yummy (I love Chayote too – as can be seen in my corn-chayote tacos), this is not tinola, at least not how I remember it. It’s the blend of the chicken, green papaya, and ginger that makes this dish rock.

The recipe in Panlasang Pinoy again served as a great base. Without it, I would not know that it used Hot Pepper leaves – the leaves! One can find it frozen in the Asian markets. I pretty much followed the recipe, but I used less fish sauce and salt than the original recipe for health reasons.

Thawing... these are frozen solid when bought.

Chicken Tinola Recipe

Based on the Chicken Tinola Recipe from Panlasang Pinoy

 Ingredients

• 1 lb Chicken thighs (about 4)
• 4 cups of water
• 1/2 pc small green papaya, cut into wedges
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 medium sized onion, chopped
• 1 thumb ginger, cut into strips
• 3 tsps fish sauce, divided
• 1 packet hot pepper leaves, thawed
• salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Procedure

1. Sauté the garlic, onion, and ginger.
2. Season the chicken with some salt and pepper.
3. Put-in the chicken, skin side first and 1 tsp of fish sauce. Cook until color turns light brown.
4. Pour-in the water and the remaining fish oil and put to a boil. Simmer for 45 minutes.
5. Add the green papaya wedges and simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Add the hot pepper leaves.
7. Add salt (or more fish oil) and pepper to taste (I usually just add pepper).
8. Serve hot. Share and enjoy!

Simmering...Almost there.

Verdict

I am so glad I made this dish. It is so good and perfect for a cold rainy day. Ginger seems to be the theme of these last two months, and I love the ginger flavor in this soup. Also the blend with the papaya and chicken really makes it.

Dare I say it…It brings back so many childhood memories. Definitely will be in our winter rotation. 

Puchero, Filipino-style

I had a craving for Filipino-style Puchero the other day. This was one of the staples that my Grandmother did on Sundays and one of my favorites. Puchero is a type of stew composed of pork or chicken, sausage, vegetables, plantains, garbanzo beans, and tomatoes. The combination of different flavors gives this dish its unique flavor. The local Filipino eateries around here rarely make this, so I had no choice but make it.

Puchero served traditional-style

Again, I found a recipe at Panlasang Pinoy that I can use as a base. The first time I made this, I asked my Tita (aunt) if it was close to what Grandma did and she said that Nana fried the bananas first, perhaps to get that caramelization and bring out the sweetness. As I’ve seen in the Food Network, I decided to treat each ingredient “with love” so I opted to pre-fry the sweet potatoes as well.

The missing ingredient is Chinese Sausage. I remember that this is one of the things that I ate first because I enjoyed its sweetness. The Pork Puchero did not use sausage though, but I remember Nana using this. I referred to the Chicken Puchero recipe on how to prepare it (again, it involved treating it with love and pre-frying).

Someday all of these would be stew

Buying Stuff. In this case, procurement was the challenge. I had to go to three different stores, four if you count our local grocery store to get my “normal” pantry items.

My first stop was Seafood City for the saba banana and bok choy. Seafood City is one of the few places, if not the only one, around here that one can get saba. One can use plantains, but it is not the same. This was actually my favorite part of this dish, so I added another half. Remember though… key to cooking is balance.

For the bok choy, I actually just bought some last night for my stir-fry, but I think we only have two leaves left. Plus, my husband said that he loves bok choy so I bought a whole bag. He can have bok choy for a week.

Next was Ranch 99 for Chinese Sausage and Sweet Potatoes. After looking at the price, I decided not to get Chinese sausage since the last time I made this, we did not finish the last package. I thought Aidell’s Chicken-Apple sausage would be a good substitute (and guaranteed to be finished). I actually also bought my fish sauce in Ranch 99, because Seafood City only had Filipino style fish sauce. I have heard once that if one prefers milder flavor, use Thai or Vietnamese style (It also has a bit of sugar).

The term "Puchero" was derived from the word "Stew Pot"

I also bought my pork here this time. I hesitated before, but a friend said the Ranch 99 has the freshest meat available. I bought stew meat this time to save money, but I’ve used pork tenderloin in the past. Panlasang Pinoy actually recommends using Pork Belly.

I also went to the Mexican market to get the garbanzo beans. Actually, I could have bought this at my local grocery store, but I prefer getting this at the market because it is more economical (and I can get tamales and menudo for lunch – since it will take a while for this to cook).

Last stop was to my local grocery store for basics and stuff that I missed: onion, garlic, (organic) tomatoes, and tomato sauce.  For some veggies, I prefer using organic to avoid pesticides.

One last note before the recipe: This actually takes a lot of preparation. I could not imagine my Grandma doing all this, but I do remember that she had some help (but it wasn’t from us grandkids – she preferred for us to study). It also takes some time to simmer, so allocate at least two hours.

Here’s what I have so far. Try it and let me know what you think.

Pork Filipino-Style Puchero

Based on the recipe from the Pork Pochero recipe from Panlasang Pinoy and some childhood memories

Ingredients

• 1 lb pork stew meat, cubed, fat trimmed off, but do leave some.
• 1 piece Chicken-Apple Sausage (I like sausage so I added another half. Also if available, use 3 pieces of Chinese Sausage, sliced thinly)
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon whole pepper corn
• 1 small can tomato sauce
• 1 cup chick peas (garbanzos)
• 1 large plaintain banana (ripe), sliced (if this is your favorite, you can add more)
• 1/2 medium sized sweet potato, cubed
• About 1/4 cabbage, sliced for consistency
• 1/4 lb long green beans
• 1 bunch bok choy
• 1 cup water
• 2-3 tablespoons cooking oil
• 3 teaspoons of fish-sauce, divided (recommend Thai or Vietnamese-style)
• Pepper to taste

  

Directions

1. Heat cooking oil in a cooking pot. I used my Dutch oven.
2. Fry the sweet potatoes and bananas. Remove from pot and Set aside.
3. Fry the sausage. Remove from pot and Set aside.
4. Sauté garlic, onions, and tomatoes. Add some pepper and 1 tsp of fish sauce (for salt, to season)
5. Season pork with pepper. Add pork to the pot and cook until the color turns light brown.
6. Put-in remaining fish sauce, whole peppercorn, water, and tomato sauce. Stir.
7. Add sweet potatoes, plantains, and chick peas. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes.
8. Add cabbage and long green beans. Cook for 5 minutes.
9. Stir-in the bok choy. Cover the pot and turn off the heat.
10. Let the residual heat cook the bok choy (about 5 minutes).
11. Serve with rice. Enjoy!

Verdict

This recipe is very close to what my grandma did. To mind our sodium intake, mine used half of the fish sauce called for in the original recipe, but it tasted just right.  I think more may be too salty (I may still need to pay for it the next day with water retention).

My husband loves this dish. He hesitated with the bananas at first, but really enjoyed it. I probably should have used two.

Also, instead of white rice which is more typical in Filipino cuisine, I used a blend of brown rice and quinoa, just to get the extra fiber and protein.

Elevating my presentation

A challenge for me though is the ideal way to handle the peppercorns when cooking. The traditional way of making puchero is to have the peppercorns all over the dish. However, it is rather unpleasant when you bite into it. I may try it ground next time (and reduce the amount).

It is a bit mind blowing that the ingredients came from different cultures: Filipino, Chinese, Thai, Mexican, and now with the quinoa, Peruvian. I am not sure where Chicken-Apple sausage originated (Italian? California?). In reading the Wikipedia article about Puchero, I did not realize that there are other types of Puchero in South American countries and Spain. This is truly an international dish.

I need to try out a slow-cooker version of this to perhaps make it easy for me. With that, I either have to half the recipe (or more) since I have a small crockpot: a project for another day.

Hope you enjoy!

Mad About Minis: Mad Gourmet’s Single Serving Homemade Cheesecake

One of my husband’s favorite desserts is cheesecake. However, he rarely buys a slice because those slices can be huge and he (claims to be) watching his sugar intake.

Since I share his concerns, my mission then is to create a single-serve cheesecake that we can share. I researched (i.e. Googled), but the recipes only came close to my vision. I really wanted one that looked like a cheesecake: crust at the bottom, creamy cheesy goodness for the filling, and for one. That is not too much to ask is it?

I ended up combining some ideas and also doing some arithmetic. The result is below. Let me know what you think.

Mad Gourmet’s Mini Cheesecake

Based on a bunch of cheesecake recipes found in the web (... shall I say "Best of")

Stuff

Crust

• 4 crumbled vanilla wafers
• 1 1/2 tsp of butter
• 1/2 tsp of brown sugar
• pinch of salt
   

Filling

• 2 Tbsp cream cheese
• 1 Tbsp sour cream or yogurt, preferably vanilla or plain
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice (or a few shavings of lemon zest)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla

Directions

Making the crust

1. Crumble the wafers (I just use a ziploc bag to crumble to save on washing).
2. Combine with butter, the remaining sugar, and salt (I even mix this in the bag).  
3. Firmly press the crumb mixture into the ramekin.
4. Bake for about 1 min to set the crust. Let cool.

 

Filling

1. Pre-heat oven temp to 325 degrees (You can do this while making the crust).
2. In your serving dish, ramekin, or mug, combine cream cheese, lemon juice, sugar, vanilla, and yogurt (or sour cream).
3. Mix together really well. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir.
4. Pour filling over the crust to put it all together.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes until sides firm up.
6. Let cool in the refrigerator for at least four hours.
7. If desired, serve with whipped cream.

Verdict

My husband really enjoyed this cheesecake. This is actually my go-to recipe for cheesecake. I have made it several times and it’s a big hit. I am planning to make this for Valentine’s weekend for us, maybe with something red on top.

My husband said the only thing wrong with it was I needed to double it. I did try to double the filling once, but I think my ramekin was not big enough for it. The crust-to-filling ratio may also need some work.

Also, I’ve done some variations that are equally delicious. I varied the filling or the crust or both. Stay tuned… it’s worth it. I promise.


If cheesecake is not your thing, you can try my mini Chocolate-Strawberry Lava Cake.  Better yet, why not make both.