fortynine ways to eat salmon

Here, have more pictures of croissants.

Inside layers need more improvement//separation but now I roughly know how to stuff. When I grow up, I want to be like Supermoon.

fiftyfive mothers

brunch

This is my brunch cake.

inside the house

outside the house

not-so-useless kitchen tools

I'm a sucker for random kitchen gadgets, but Alton Brown has taught me well, and I resist pulling out my wallet unless the random kitchen gadget is multifunctional (and is discounted).  That doesn't mean, though, I don't end up with a collection of semi-useless kitchen things (i.e. cherry pitter, dinosaur pan, potato ricer).  I can't help it though... I get it from my dad - enthusiastic buyer of a home yogurt maker, waffle iron, and electric crepe pan that permanently reside together in the back of the pantry.

Well Julia's Jared completely outdid my tendencies and got himself an immersion circulator (although if I had a real person salary, I'd be all over this shit too).

Some might say a vacuum sealer and torch are excessive and useless, but I say fuck that, they were some of the best gifts I've ever gotten.  Too bad I left Vacuum at home with Processor and Mixer because it would've taken over the world dinner if it combined forces with Circulator.  Torch will do well on its own in the mean time.  Perfect for searing a poached steak or poached chicken or crisping up some poached salmon skin... like so...

The result.  Perfectly cooked olive oil poached salmon with lemon and dill spice mix + green beans sauteed in oyster sauce + salad with balsamic mustard dressing + asiago bread from Panera.

Can salmon be buttery?  Because it was.  This thing is great, just imagining all the perfectly cooked meats in all the mediums with all the marinades.  I wonder if I could just adopt and sanitize an old water circulator from some lab... there's gotta be plenty of those on campus right?  But anyways.

Mmm, thanks for double-dating with me and Torch, guys.

The one thing I will not bend to though... is a garlic press.

belated brunch cake yr 3

 

day 4//Sono

BANANAS AND YOGURT and vegetable soup?

Not much you can do with that except make a banana smoothie... which I don't prefer.  Something about drinking my bananas I guess - not a fan.

So let's talk about Sono.

Between Frank and I, we killed the following:

Salmon Carpaccio: scottish salmon, ikura, mustard ponzu, chives, micro greens, scorched with hot oil blend

Gently cooked on the outside, raw on the inside, room temperature dish of which I would've licked the plate clean had there not been other human beings around.  The sauce was absolutely delicious (we kept it for sushi dipping after the waiter couldn't find bread).

 Spicy Tuna Taco: ahi tuna tartare, avocado mousse, micro wasabi, flying fish caviar, jalapeno aioli, crispy wonton "taco"

Usually I overlook the word "taco" (though recently I've been craving them like no other... but the Mexican kind with tripe and carnitas and fresh tomatoes/lettuce and such), which is why we were eyeing the pork belly slider, but the description was hard to ignore.  Avocado mousse?  Yes please, and next project once I'm done with this stupid diet.

No regrets obviously.  The only flaw of this bite-sized taco was that it was... bite-sized.  Could I just get like... seven more please?

Maki Combo: choice of two special rolls (excluding the $100 roll.. bummer)

Magic Carpet (king crav, avocado, salmon tartare, micro wasabi and tobiko oshi-zushi style) - favoriteeee 

and 

Super star (spicy scallop, kaiware, cucumber, blue fin tuna, avocado, three different tobiko)

Magma (crab salad and avocado flash fried and topped with scallop mix, wasabi mayo and eel sauce) - tempura fried made for an interesting texture and I made the mistake of trying to eat the whole thing in one bite after Frank gave me shit for trying to cut it in half with my chopsticks, yeah... don't do that unless you have much experience with shoving large things in your mouth... 

and that leads us to the next roll

Screaming "O" (spicy tuna, tempura shrimp, seared tuna, special "O" sauce, masago, chives) - favoritee, as determined by the next words that came immediately after swallowing: "Ohh my God"

 Mission Fig Tart: mission fig brulee on pastry creme in a tart shell with guava puree

Love.  Figs.  That is all.

Though the desserts confused me just a bit.  Why so... French-like?  I guess I would've preferred something less dense with cream (though I love cream.. and cheese... and creamy cheeses) after scarfing down the sushi.

Mandarin Orange Crepe: mandarin oranges and mascarpone crepe with ginger sorbet

I still see no sorbet.

Oh, backtrack, Frank looked like a dick asking for the menu and the whereabouts of the ginger sorbet, after which the waiter (who apparently loved him - and topped off our water after only a single sip) insisted was on top.

But I still see no sorbet.  It would've really lightened up the dish, which I agree was too creamy as well.

this is healthy living?

Reason #397 why I want to enter the food industry: there's always some new superfood//food trend//eating right campaign to hop on.  

People gotta eat, Daddy, and people gonna get fat, I'll never be out of a job... right?
The things I've seen on superfoods-you-NEED-to-include-in-your-diet lists always make me scoff and exclaim at my ever-understanding computer screen, "I've been eating that shit since birth - superfood?  Why am I still fat?"
Think pomegranate, bok choy, lychee, avocados, green tea, sweet potatoes, salmon, nuts.  Maybe I didn't grow up on Greek yogurt and quinoa, but it's all about when the exposure happens.
Prebiotics is a buzz word I've been seeing on Yahoo! articles and sidebar ads.  I'm going to let you Google it should you choose to do so, but basically I read this article about an obese Chinese man who dropped down to average man size after switching up his diet.  Prebiotics.  The intended result is all about upping that good bacteria population to keep your digestive system in balance.  Jumping abruptly to mention this thing they're trying called 'fecal transplantation' as a treatment for obesity.  And I'm going to just stop there.

The point is... I, being only slightly short of the qualifications for "health nut" (as indicated by this week's snack binge, which I'll get back to), promptly did some simple research on what foods are good sources for these so-called prebiotics.
Then I went home and made this:

a beautiful heaping plate of shaved asparagus.
This was kind of a process, if only for the shaving of the asparagus - ugh tedious prep work.  Blanch it for maybe ten minutes?  Give or take - just until soft but still with a bite.  Run it under cold water.  Dry.
Meanwhile I roasted a couple heads of garlic: slice in half and brown in butter before sticking the pan into a 350 degree oven for ten minutes.
After removing the garlic heads and popping out each little sweet and smokey clove, I lightly seared some smoked salmon in the butter and roughly chopped it.
The avocado "dressing" became more of a dressing (instead of cubes) because I was using an over ripened, slightly mushy avocado.  I beat it to as much of a pulp as I could and added lemon juice and a little bit of oil in an attempt to create a sort of... avocado aioli...without the egg yolk... so it's more of a puree?  Either way, it wasn't hard to toss the asparagus, salmon, and garlic in it for a nommy leafless salad.
That's three/fourths superfood, right there.  (Though garlic should really be a superfood.  And everyone should try snacking on roasted garlic like I do.)

Speaking of snacks...
Monday: craving for cheese and crackers hits and cannot be shrugged off.
Tuesday: purchased block of cheddar, box of Triscuits, and two bags of dried apricots at dollar general.
Wednesday: finished 3/4 block of cheddar, all of the Triscuits, and one and a half bags of apricots
Thursday: purchased Parmesan Goldfish and finished entire bag over two or three episodes of Suits reruns, finished rest of apricots.
Friday: more cheese and fried food in Charlotte, but I'll get to that.
And I used to think I didn't PMS eat...

sixtyone bay gals

pc: Joyce

Many days of secrecy about prep finally culminated in this perfect picnic day for Emily's birthday.

fiftyone indigestions

Another work day, but I can still count on one hand the number of times I've stepped foot in the lab since quarantine started. It's still such a treat to come home - I almost can't believe this was my day-to-day back in the day. TG for neighbors who greet you at home with strawberry horchatas and oolong blondie bits.

No man will ever be good enough.

Quick intermission for surprise birthday celebration.

Before Joyce came back with a block of brie and her tomato and rosemary focaccia, which was a  perfect vehicle for salmon patties (salmon #3) and chrysanthemum greens.

Currently nursing an unhappy tummy that dashed all my productive dreams.
Looking forward to resetting back to the new normal ...of not going into lab so I can babysit various food babies at home.

fortysix cold brew jitters

Another work day, another cream filled donut.

Another Friday, another fika with more hummus and flatbread.

Another month has gone by with only more grand food plans and no end in sight.

Dinner was tagine sourdough with pate and sauteed chrysanthemum greens.

freezer-clean-out-giblet-collection pate

-thaw collection of giblets you've inevitably and obviously collected over a couple years of roasting whole chickens and separate out livers

-saute aromatics (onion&garlic)

-add herbs (thyme)

-deglaze with alcohol (vermouth)

-dump into blender cup

-fry livers and also dump into blender cup

-add vinegar (red wine)

-add more wine if you please and I'm sure you please (roscato)

-blend and season to taste

-spread on toast and top with roasted quinoa so that it looks like two pieces of salmon at first glance

-crave salmon

Eaten while pretending I could have Normal People chemistry in real life.

seniortis

Good feelings

-writing "2013" for the first time when filling out a petition that required my graduating year

-not having to wake up early to yell at my computer because ACES sucks

-realizing I only just have to pass tropical ecology now

-three weeks of undergrad left

-excitement for summer employment for once

I can barely contain myself.

And thinking about how much more time I'll get to spend in the kitchen.

Pretzel-crusted salmon with Moroccan mustard sauce (purchased from a Fresh Foods mart next to my favorite Thai restaurant in Chapel Hill) and sauteed carrots.

Suggestion for consumption:

1. Fill bowl with rice.

2. Get snack pack of seaweed (the Kirkland brand from Costco is the best).

3. Take piece of seaweed, put "dollop" of rice in center, top with flakes of salmon and strips of carrot.

4. Wrap.

5. Eat.

6. Repeat until bursting.  (Or until sensibly full, if you're into that).

Summing up my roommate in four texts:

2:01AM Can u order me papa johns bbq chicken pizza small

2:02AM I will pay but i think they close now

2:02AM Please call for me!!

2:02AM So hungry

Sorry babe, I fell asleep; maybe next time <33 p="">

Bad feelings

-lethargy (feed me caffeine)
-loneliness (loveeee me)
-lack of motivation/focus (get me out of here now)


But can't be fazed because I'm graduating, bitch.

i like to ride my bicycle

Checking one off the bucket list.

Finally hopped back on a bike and decided to take it all the way around Lake Monona. 

ian eats cheese

Sir popped by Madison for the long weekend.  Not to visit me, but it's fine.

So I cornered him at Taste of Madison, where we began with the best cheese curds, complete with cameraman to document the momentous occasion.

Amazing golden blistered cheesecurds that were all cheese and no batter, just the way I like them.  It helped that they were huge, but I don't know if I'd say they were the best.

omakase yes please

Saturday morning was for regrouping (aka nursing hangovers). And in my case, climbing too many stairs and eating one of the three leftover pho's. 

Sunday afternoon was for wandering around the International District and showing Frank what an annoying girlfriend/travel bud I'd actually be... unless of course, you'd like following me into those super cute well curated stores and listening to my heart melt and head explode on repeat. New room decor need = cartoon renderings of ramen.

But so eats.. well actually drinks...

Roasty toasty barley milk tea with mini tapioca pearls from Oasis. 

And then my obsession for window shopping paid off when we found the naked Trump statue in a vintage store... called Vintage, appropriately, I think.

Revolution

Maybe I should stop pretending like I'm the only person in the world who likes to eat at restaurants and start making reservations.

When Groupon offers you $69 for 3-course dinner for four, you obviously take it.

Long weekend Sunday dinner after being dragged all over Durham on my dad's shopping errands when all I wanted was a bed to finish my nap (maybe I should also stop going home thinking I'll be more productive...).  I have no qualms about sleeping in public.

Revolution was completely booked, so groups of unreserved diners were forced to hover over people seated at the bar... and the three couples eating at the supposed-to-be waiting area, tapping their feet as they timed every bite and salivating as dishes were paraded out of the kitchen.

And since it expires at the end of January, and is only valid on Sundays, we pretty much had just this one opportunity to eat.

Luckily we snagged the corner of the bar (which involved stealing two seats).

pass the peas please

Freezer staple: peas.

Form of consumption: pureed.

all i want is herring

the art of eating alone

On most fronts, I loved traveling alone. I kind of operate on scheduled randomness, I prefer being on foot to public transportation, and there was no one to people-please. The two times I found myself incredibly annoyed at not having friend(s) were 1. when I wanted to go to the bathroom without lugging all my stuff with me and 2. when I wanted to try too many things on a menu. But I guess we can call that character building because my bladder and decision making skills are stronger than it's ever been, and eating alone is really not that awkward.

It's definitely not as comfortable as posting up in a coffee shop under cover of a laptop or book, but it's not as weird as "Does everyone think I got stood up?"

So anyways, Ann raved about Urban Deli, and it happened to be a couple blocks from my hostel (or so I thought), so naturally I worked it into my dinner schedule.

The best tartare is an explosion of flavors and textures. Like a good charcuterie plate, I want to be able to personalize each bite. Fried oyster mushrooms, pickled onion, cilantro, garlic chips, miso mayonnaise. Just missing a bright yellow yolk to tie it all together.

And to complete my raw surf n turf, I had to get half a dozen oysters with onion relish stuff. My kind of raw diet.

quaint

Laura and Amelia are a semi-functional shit show when traveling together.

This is what happens when you put two 'free spirits' together.

obligatory Seattle pictures

lawls of the trip: "I have to take a picture of the 1912.  It's the hundred year anniversary of Starbucks." -Dad 

obligatory Pike Place picture