Sweaty Guinea Pig Goes Live

We serve housemade pickles in our restaurant as one of the antipasti. We pickle with Champagne vinegar. As a cheaper alternative, I chose white wine vinegar to pickle on my own. The formula for pickling is more or less the same...2 parts of vinegar, 1 part of water, with 1 to 1 ratio of salt and sugar. To boost the flavor, I add my own version of spice blend, which consists of cinnamon, star anise, cloves, black peppercorn, allspice, coriander seeds, and garlic (ok...the last item is not a type of spice).

I brought the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt to boil, and then poured the liquid over the cukes and spices. To ensure the ingredient, cukes in this case, fully submerged in the vinegar mixture, I put a piece of cling film on top of the vegetable and weighed it down with a plastic container. The cukes will be ready for use in few hours.   

       

Click here to download:

Basic_Pickling.zip (7282 KB)

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Although making garganelli is a laborious task, I somehow find it very therapeutic. I enjoy making a nice and firm semolina dough and rolling each pasta sheet into tubes. We serve our garganelli with a rich Bolognese sauce, and then garnish with grated Parmesan and brunoise of chives.

   

Click here to download:

Garganelli.zip (2093 KB)

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I am usually by myself in the kitchen on Sunday. Since the restaurant has gotten busier in the last few weeks, we go through a lot of stocks, produce, pasta, etc weekly. Therefore, I use my Sunday, which is usually less busy, to prep as much as I can for the upcoming week. The prep list was indeed daunting yesterday...which included making garganelli, gnocchi, and pizza (our special thin crust pizza), roasting squash, blanching Brussels sprouts, making vegetables stock, and chopping vegetables. I spent nearly 6 hours preping for the above items while going through orders of food during service hour. Cheers to a happy ending!

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After a busy Saturday dinner service, I could not have appreciated my peaceful walk to my apartment in Brooklyn more than anything else.

Sent from my iPhone

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I miss the action.

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There are a few dishes that I make regularly and always seek for perfection (eg. scrambled eggs, Julia Child's fluffy omelette, Malaysian curry, bulgogi, etc), and I have made a fair amount of risotto whenever I crave homemade Italian meal. Although risotto seems boring and straight forward, the steps that it takes to make a perfect risotto, or at least tasty, are quite patience-demanding. If done right...the result is quite rewarding.

My personal preference for a vibrant risotto dish is done al dente, with a little bit of bite for the grains, but not sticking to your teeth. When I make my risotto, homemade chicken stock is a must. Without a rich and nice homemade stock, risotto tastes like piss...and I mean it.

I have worked on risotto for many months...I am still inconsistent with my result. In my perect world, the risotto would be al dente and engulfed with nice seasonal vegetable sauce, and then topped with a nicely cooked protein item.

Please check the progress I have made in the last few months...I end this entry with a Risotto with Minty Pea Puree and Curry Scallop (the last photo).

       

Click here to download:

Searching_for_perfection_Risot.zip (7635 KB)

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Before summer ends...here are some iFS highlight for the month of August (I slacked off in taking pictures in July...)

Pictures in order:
1) Pulled Pork Banh Mi: pickled carrots and daikon, cilantry, aioli
2) Leg of Lamb Sandwich: dill yogurt sauce, iceberg lettuce, hummus
3) Roasted Pork Sandwich: pickled red cabbage, roasted jalapeno, aioli
4) iFS Smoked Salmon (home-smoked salmon would be a nice entry next time): mayonnaise, sourcream, frisee

Enjoy!

Although iFS has temporarily closed, I am always looking for new ingredients (or exotic recipes) for making tasty sandwiches. Please feel free to suggest any ingredients that you'd like me to try. My kitchen is my laboratory as well as yours!

       

Click here to download:

iFS_Summer_Highlight.zip (6921 KB)

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June flew by rather quickly, before I even had the chance to document all my dishes (or sandwiches). These are just a few items I made in June and came out great in the photos.

Pictures in order:
1. Italian BLT: Prosciutto, Radicchio, and Tomatoes, with homemade aioli.
2. Rib eye with Brussels sprouts, peas, and turnips.
3. Chicken drumsticks with cherry sauce, mashed potatoes, and sauteed greens.

I need to be more discipline about taking pictures and keeping track of the dishes I have made.

     

Click here to download:

Some_iFS_Highlight_for_June.zip (5260 KB)

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iFS is commited to bringing gourmet lunch to the masses. Here are some homemade sandwiches that I had created for my clients in May.

         

Click here to download:

Commitment_to_Great_Food.zip (9367 KB)

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April 27th, Monday: Bulgogi Cheesesteak; a Korean-style barbeque sandwich filled with succulent beef, sweet and sour cucumbers, roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, and extra sharp cheddar sauce.
April 28th , Tuesday: Chicken Basil over Rice: sliced chicken breast sauteed with Thai basil and soy sauce; came with candided shittake mushrooms, and green papaya salad as the sides.
April 29th, Wednesday: Pulled Pork Banh Mi: a Vietnamese sandwich filled with juicy pulled pork with hoisin sauce, layer with French pate, pickled white radish and carrots, cilantro, and homemade mayonnaise.
April 30th, Thursday: Blackened Catfish Po'Boy: iFS Creole seasoning with Catfish sandwich, filled with Cajun slaw, and strained yogurt with chopped pickled cucumbers.
Vegetarian option of the week: Tofu dumplings with Chinese chives, napa cabbage, and vermecelli.

Please visit this week's iFS lunch menu at: http://www.eatifs.com/lunch/lunch-menu-for-5-4-to-5-7/

Thanks for your support and I look forward to hear from you!

       

Click here to download:

iFS_Lunch_April_27_to_30.zip (7806 KB)

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