A Taste of Love with "Eyes" Set on Dad...

Granted Father's Day was actually last weekend, that doesn't mean I love him any less. Rather, I doubly love him as this is his 2nd Father's Day dinner wherein we went out to eat last week. So how did I express my love and appreciation for him? With a big slab of Wagyu beef of course!! If I can't take him to the ranch to choose the steer for dinner, then its coming to the house!

Wagyu, which is the same as the famed Japanese Kobe beef but raised on American soil has been made available for at least the past year or so at the King's Supermarket chain. I picked up a pack of rib-eye meaty goodness with no plan of attack. Does that mean my love for my dad is disorderly and haphazard even? Let's not psychoanalyze this...

When the time came to cook up this splendid (hopefully) meal, I decided on showcasing the quality of the meat itself. With just a bit salt and pepper, I threw it into a hot, cast-iron pan with a bit of butter and olive oil. Sorry, no grilling tonight. I still lament over his decision for well-done, but if that's what pops wants, that's what he gets. I much prefer to revel in a bit of blood, but nevermind that. For added tastebud titillations, I whipped together an herbed butter to dollop on top. This was no ordinary herbed butter for an extraordinary dad! Come on, get with the program. Nay, this butter was lovingly whipped with fresh thyme, garlic, and his beloved VSOP cognac. To round out the meal, I made up some mashed potatoes from scratch and some baby bok choy braised with ginger. Some of the leftover thyme and garlic butter was available on the side to throw into the mashed potatoes if desired. And to my astonishment, my mother desired it very much!

The verdict? Well, I was surprised to receive rave reviews from the family. Hooray! His tummy felt loved! Awww! And like I said before, my mother really enjoyed the herbed butter. She loved the fresh taste of herbs that were undescored by the fragrant cognac dancing on her tongue. What I loved best out of this meal was the nice coating the fatty meat gave to my cast iron pan. I gotta build up those layers somehow to make it indestructible. ;D I just hope it's not coating everyone's arteries! =O

And now witness the love!! Rib-Eye Steak with Thyme and Garlic Butter with sides of Mashed Potatoes and Baby Bok Choy:

Ohhh TOFU!!!

I never would have thought I'd be so ecstatic about eating a slab of tofu. Clealry, I've been ignorant to a whole subculture of artisan tofu. Ok, so I made that part up, but with the funky designs on Otokomae Tofu, you'd think that maybe an underworld of tofu gangs were spilling blood for being named top dog. Actually, I couldn't help but think of the artwork from the anime series Samurai Champloo when I saw the packaging. If you ever come across this stuff, don't hesitate to pick up a box of two despite the high prices. The stuff is amazing! Of the ones I chose, they were both intensely flavorful and creamy!!! I've never had tofu dense with such soybeany flavor. And the texture! Goodness! Though it felt heavy on the tongue, it actually felt whipped as the tofu melted in your mouth. What a delight! I'm thankful that the big Japanese market, Mitsuwa now air ships them from Japan! Due to their artisanal nature, they must be consumed relatively soon. I'm sure it's not jampacked with all that preservative nonsense. More room for real soybeans! ;) Ah yes, freshest is best! So go and find some today!!

Strawberry Rose Cakes

For Christmas, I got a "Sweetheart Rose Cake Pan" manufactured by Nordic Ware. Well, I finally got around to using it when I decided to make some sweets to take up with me on a road trip to Mt. Washington. Rather than scour through my recipes in search for something to make, I decided to try the Raspberry Rose Cake recipe on the package. Well, I don't care for raspberry nor did I have any on hand. However, I did have strawberry jam that had been sitting aorund waiting for such an application (as we don't eat strawerry jam). If I recall correctly, this jam was foisted on us by someone who didn't care for it either. I knew I'd be able to bake with it so I kept it around. =) And so Strawberry Rose Cakes were born.

Surprisingly, these cakes weren't bad at all! Though a bit dense and filling, they were quite palatable. Just like the Mango Upside-Down Cake, the batter was fluffy like buttercream. Upon seeing this, I became eager to try them out as soon as they were ready. ;) The difficult part was actually buttering and flouring all the deep crevices of the rose mold properly. The first batch was fine and all the roses looked perfect. The second batch had a few missing bits here and there because the pan was too hot for me to properly prep it. Granted the mold is non-stick, the baked-on strawberry jam held on to the pan just enough to tear the batter away. And so fortunately, it was not difficult to clean. I just ended up with some less than pristine roses.

What's great about these molds is that the presentation just wows everyone. They really look gorgeous yet no added effort on my part. Another bonus was that the batter was easy to make. ;D Though the recipe called for a dusting of confectioner's sugar, I chose not to bother with it. Who needs more sugar, and why make the roses look as if they were infected with powdery mildew? ;P

Topsy Turvy Mango

Yes, more mango concoctions. Did I achieve my gastronomical goal of creating mangoey goodness? Well, more like mangooey than mangoey. Since I had bought a bunch of mangoes, I tried my hand at making a Mango Upside-down Cake. I've always loved Pineapple Upside-down Cakes, so this has got to be delicious, right? Well...it wasn't bad but not fantastic. The mangoes were a bit too moist though interestingly enough, they started to taste like (and have the consistency of) dried mangoes that you can buy as the days passed. No real surprise since there I guess. Overall, I think a better alternative would have been peaches say. The cake part was delicious though! While mixing the batter, I noticed how fluffy it looked...almost like a buttercream or skincare product!! What?!?! Have I gone mad? What sort of skincare products do I use? Is that what you're thinking? Well...you'd know what I mean if you've been to any Lush store where you can find freshly made skincare products sitting in tubs that are on top of ice. Made from fresh fruits, vegetables and the like, it's quite expensive but quite delicious for your skin. No, I haven't used them myself but I've seen the stuff and heard of the rave reviews. Find a store near you and check it out. Then you'll know what my batter looked like too! Well, except for maybe the color. ;)

Back to the cake...my family weren't too crazy about it either though the consensus was that the cake was pretty good with a tasty butteriness. I would definitely use the cake recipe to make something else. I found it strange how flat it turned out to be. =( Perhaps I used too large a pan...As for the mangoes, I again found them too stringy and relatively tasteless but in this case, it was the mangoes' fault and not the recipe's. I would use the small, tasty ones from the Philippines but they're so darned good, I'd rather eat them out of hand than bake them. =9~

Mango-a-go-go Goner

I had high hopes for this latest concoction. Mangoes were on sale at a great price, and I'd been wanting to make some tasty mangoey goodness. Alas, the stars and planets were slightly askew as this bread was quite boring (though my dad loved it and ate it all up...thankfully). The only way one would know mangoes were even present were the stringy threads of the mango flesh. =( I never liked eating those big fat red-green mangoes (often from Mexico), but apparently, they're not great for cooking either. Surprisingly, this bread was mostly dry (only slightly wet) despite the juiciness of the mangoes (though not terribly sweet or flavorful). I suppose most of the juice ran down my arms thus unable to moisten the bread. ;) In the end, this was just another typical quick bread whose only highlight came from the Craisins I used instead of raisins which turned out fantastic! But then, I'm not a huge raisin fan in my baked goods. I liked that the Craisins weren't terribly sweet (like raisins) yet were not sour either (if fresh/frozen cranberries had been used). From now on, I think I'll replace all raisins with Craisins when making sweets! =D

Toad in the Hole Perfection?

Well, as near perfection thus far. Yet another attempt at this British favorite. This time around, it puffed up very nicely with a crisp crust, even in middle whereas before, it'd just blow up on the sides while the middle was dense. It was a nice and solid pudding (as in it had body) yet was soft and filled with holes for lightness. Awesome! I think the proportion of oil was right. Another plus was that it wasn't too salty either nor very eggy tasting (which was great for me). Unfortunately, the vegetarian sausages I tried (yet *another* brand) was too salty. I bought them on a whim as I'd never tried them before. I really must stop buying these awful things!!! Curiosity gets the better of me. =P The secret to my final success? I tried out Nigella Lawson's recipe. I think we have a winner! =D Or at least until I come across an even better recipe...or maybe I'm just getting the hang of it? ;) Well, I gotta say her recipe was very easy to whip up as I did it in between shining my tires after I washed the car. =P Hooray! I'm ecstatic at finally being able to revisit a dish my classmates served up. I cannot help but think of them and my time in the UK each time I've tried this dish. They have found a way to gain a foothold in my sieve-like memory. How wonderful! =)

Fantastic Feasting at Matsushima

For nearly as long as I have lived in this area, I have known about the Japanese restaurant that sits along the scenic banks of the Hudson River for diners to idly cast their eyes on the NYC skyline. Clearly, this makes for a romantic spot as well. Who cares about the romance. I came for the food! So after many years of curiosity, I've finally dined there! Though it has gone through a few incarnations since my arrival to the state, I'm quite satisifed with it's current form as Matsushima since I don't know any better. ;)

Their menu constantly changes according to the availability of ingredients as well as the seasons, though many staples are available throughout the year. I was advised to order all appetizers from their traditional dining area (second floor) though hibachi was available downstairs. While their entrees are good, those in the know drink plenty of alcohol and nibble on the appetizers. Ah, they certainly know how to have a good time, eh?

And so with the city sparkling on a clear night in front of me and an assortment of seafood placed before my hungry tummy, I enjoyed a delicious meal with the best of friends. What more could I ask for? Oh...that? Well, I suppose I could have a romantic evening out but of course that will have to be slated for another time. ;)

What about the food?!?! Oh right. First, the roll call of the dishes present:

Saba Misoni - Mackerel in miso sauce
Goma Ae - Spinach with a sesame sauce
Asari Clam Soup in Sake
Softshell Crab Kara Age-Fried softshell crab
Salmon Toro Yuzu Miso Yaki - Fatty salmon belly grilled with a yuzu miso sauce
Chicken Tatsuta Age - Fried chicken
Buri Kama - Grilled yellowtail collar
Tako Su - Vinegared octopus
Salmon Sashimi
Grapefruit Sorbet - Homemade!

What a feast eh? It was incredibly delicious down to the sorbet for dessert! We ordered a lot of fatty stuff which is what I like the best. =9 Perhaps a little too much. ;D But the octopus helped alleviate the fattiness on the palate. Ending on a grapefruit sorbet was perfect to refresh our tastebuds. It was not too sweet either-the one thing I hate about most sorbets. You could even fish out bits of grapefruit pulp as you were eating. Clearly, freshy made. Yum!

Well, since I've started with dessert, let's go backwards. The salmon sashimi was incredibly fatty. It wasn't even the toro (fatty belly) so clearly, this place has some top quality fish. Wow wow wow. The best I ever had. I could not talk while eating it. I had to savour every little bite. =9~ The tako su was good too particularly in its texture-just right. The buri kama was unfortunately overcooked most likely due to its thickness. The most interior sections were succulent and fatty but every other part was on the dry side. =( The chicken tatsuta age was also not done well. It was boring and also on the dry side. The salmon toro yuzu miso yaki was so fatty and juicy! The skin was nice and crunchy yet slightly chewy while the flesh was oozing with the fat. Oh! Salmon heaven what with the salmon sashimi too? If I died after that meal, I'd die with a smile on my face. ;) The softshell crab kara age has really spoiled me. I've had a lot of fried softshell crab and this was the best. The shell was airy-crispy while the meat was juicy, tender and thick. I don't know how they did it so well! This crab also had tasty eggs. =9~ Mmm. The asari clam soup had a nice clam flavor with a hint of sake. However, I found the flavor of bonito a bit too overpowering. The clams themselves were tendy, flavourful and grit-free. It seems goma ae was our only vegetation for the meal. Oops! Though simple in form, it was delicious! The naturally sweet spinach was paired well with what appeared to be a handground sesame sauce. You could feel bits of the sesame hulls, but what really awed me was the fresh flavour. Mmm! I'm always amazed at how top quality ingredients prepared even in the simplest manner is so profoundly delicious. It saddens me how our food practices have changed what food really is all about.

Ah, let's not get down about such a wonderful meal. I've saved the best for last. It was my favourite dish of the evening: saba misoni. The saba was so tender and fatty, it just melted in my mouth! The flavour of the miso sauce was intense, salty and complex which married perfectly with the strong flavour of saba. Ahhhh!!! So devine! Now behold what captivated my tastebuds during the meal and even now as I describe it: