Squid Ink Pasta in a Truffled White Wine Garlic Sauce

I had started to have my doubts. Every time I looked out the window, or turned on the weather report, or ventured outside wrapped as if I was embarking for a trip to outer Mongolia (as opposed to the grocery store across the street), I sincerely doubted that I would ever feel the warmth of the sun on my skin again. This winter was a doozy, and I am just so ready to grasp at any straw that resembles spring.

But then the days got longer, the breeze grew less sharp, and a few courageous croci pushed their way through the frozen earth. So, what better way to celebrate the arrival of spring than with a fresh, light, and citrusy pasta dish? The light flavors and tender pink seafood plays really nicely against the bold, dark color of the pasta, making this as visually striking as it is flavorful.

Ingredients:

1 lb squid ink pasta (available in specialty food stores)
2 tsps garlic
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1/2 lb fresh squid 
1/2 lb uncooked shrimp
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 can chopped clams, with their juice
1 lemon
1 tsp red pepper flakes
white truffle oil (optional, but highly recommended)

Before doing anything else, prep your seafood. Be sure to wash the squid and the shrimp thoroughly and to pat them completely dry. This is an important step in preparing squid for cooking. The drier the squid, the better it will cook. If you've never cooked quid before (don't worry, it's not hard!), I would highly recommend this tutorial video from the New York Times' Melissa Clark.

Now that your seafood is prepped, you can start boiling the pasta in salted water. While you're waiting, get a large skillet and add the olive oil and butter, warming the oil over medium-high heat until it's very hot. Add the garlic, then add the squid and the shrimp. Make sure that your skillet is large enough so that the seafood is not crowded. Now for the hard part--don't touch the seafood for a full minute. Just let it cook and get a good color for an entire 60 seconds, before tossing it in the oil/garlic mixture. The squid should get a lovely rich color from this, and the shrimp will turn a light pink. Once the seafood is cooked (~3-4 minutes), add the white wine, clams, and red pepper flakes. Cook for one minute over medium heat.

Once the pasta is cooked and drained, add the seafood and sauce and toss thoroughly to coat. The wine sauce will absorb into the pasta. Spritz with lemon and dress lightly with white truffle oil.

Happy spring, and happy eating!

Vive la Bretagne : ICE Revisited

As some of you may remember, I had the pleasure of taking my very first cooking class this past Fall. Ever since attending "Elegant Autumn Desserts" with Chef Vicki Wells at the Institute for Culinary Education in downtown Manhattan, I'd been aching to go back and try my hand on some other delicacies.

The Institute for Culinary Education is located on 23rd street between 5th and 6th avenue, and offers a full range of recreational cooking classes for those interested in cooking, baking, wine and bar-tending, and cheese.

This time around--motivated by the gift of two cooking classes of my choice for Christmas--I decided to opt for a cooking class as opposed to a baking class. People always ask me what I prefer--cooking or baking. I'd have to say that I prefer baking, because it just comes to me more naturally. There seems to me that there is less room for error, and who could say no to working with ingredients like cream, chocolate, and sugar? I do enjoy cooking though, even though it does not come as easily to me.

This time around, I chose Vive la Bretagne, a celebration of tradition Bréton cuisine. The class was taught by Chef Hervé Riou who is an ambassador of Breton cuisine in the United States, representing the Union Culinaire Bretonne. My motivations for taking this particular class were twofold: first, my family originates from Brittany, the northwestern peninsula of France that projects into the Atlantic Ocean, and, second, I was looking to acquire some tricksy cooking skills.

The class was limited to 20 people and was spread over four hours on a Monday morning. The price was reasonable, considering the time in the kitchen, the price of the materials, and the fact that you got to take bags of goodies home. (I have what must amount to three rabbits in my fridge.)

Within our four hours we made Salade de Roscoff (salad of warm seasonal vegetables in an herb vinaigrette), Timbale de saumon aux herbes et fenouil marinée (smoked salmon served with marinated fennel in lemon and creme fouette with shallots confit), Soupe de poisson cotriade (traditional fish soup), Medaillons de veau à la mode d'Iffiniac (sautéed veal medaillons with Muscadet, onion and grated cheese), Coquille St Jacques à la Concarnoise (pan-seared scallops served with a ragout of chanterelles or wild mushrooms and a vermouth reduction), Lapin sauté aux herbes de Bretagnes (rabbit braised with mushroom shallots parsley and a white wine-herb infusion), Flan de St Enogat (flan with marc of cider and apples or pears caramalized), and Traou Mad (traditional butter cake).

Each one was relatively simple to make, and came out looking and tasting divine. Each used tools and ingredients that are easily available and that shouldn't be too much of a drain on the budget.

Look for each recipe as I remake them in the confines of my home kitchen in the next few weeks!

Holiday Helper : Building a Bar

The holidays are a time of family, food, and entertaining. Chances are that you will participate in or host at least one gathering this holiday season, whether it be the office Christmas party, a dinner party with the in-laws, or a secret Santa gift swap with friends. Whatever your holiday traditions are, it's always fun to try some new ideas to make your holiday gatherings run more smoothly.

For that reason, over the next month, I'm going to be posting suggestions to make your holiday entertaining easier--so you can stop worrying about entertaining and start enjoying your holidays more.

This inaugural holiday entertaining post focuses on a delicate, and potentially costly, task: building a home bar.

The Problem

1. Space, Money, Utility--The first problem arises with complicated drinks that require a slew of ingredients to achieve a particular flavor. One of the roadblocks that I regularly meet when planning parties or researching different drinks is the number of ingredients I don't have. Cocktails are fun and festive, but they often require an array of ingredients that I don't have room for, don't want to buy, and will need to find other uses for. Want to make an Elderflower Collins (a variation on the Tom Collins)? Great, but what are you going to do with the remaining 9/10 of the bottle of elderflower syrup? If you need 5 ingredients for one cocktail and each bottle is $15, that's $75 right there.

2. Tools--Many cocktails require special tools to taste their best. For example, mojitos require crushed mint leaves and lime. While you can crush mint leaves with a spoon, or chop them very finely, the best tool to have on hand is a muddler--essentially a mortar and pestle. Cocktail shakers, strainers, and different glasses are all different tools that professional bartenders have on hand, but that are sometimes beyond the scope of a home bar.

3. Complicated Drinks--As hosts, we always aim to impress, a quality that often gets us in trouble. In an effort to keep all our guests happy, we want to offer the best quality, the most variety to suit everyone's taste, and the fanciest or tastiest drinks. This not only requires buying a lot of expensive and often unnecessary things, but also tires us out when we try to do too much.

The Solution

1. Quality and Selectivity--The problem of not having a wide enough array of alcohols and liqueurs, or not having a use for odd-ball ingredients is easily solved with careful planning. Planning a holiday cocktail menu? Choose 3 drinks to fit the occasion or the season, and make sure that at least one ingredient among them is shared. For example, if you're planning on making Cran-tinis, White Russians, and Blackberry Crushes you can use vodka as the base for each.

In the weeks ahead of your party, stock up on these basic alcohols that are essential to a home bar (italicized alcohols are necessary):

Vodka

Rum

Gin

Whiskey

Champagne

Tequila

Bourbon

These are the base for most cocktails and will offer your guests a great deal of variety. You might also want to pick up a liqueur like Kahlua or Campari.

As for oddball ingredients, sometimes you will need them. That's ok, as long as you can see yourself using them in the future. Buy the smallest bottle so that you don't need to worry about storage or waste.

Another quick note: in the weeks before the Holidays, many liquor stores will sell gift sets. Though they are sometimes pricey, they are often the same price as the free-standing bottle. If you need to buy a bottle of Vodka and a Cocktail Shaker, why not buy the Grey Goose gift set that includes the two for a good price? Free glasses and cocktail-making tools are always welcome.

2. Multi-tasking tools--Some tools will be necessary for your home bar. They will not only help you make better drinks, but will last as a piece of your cocktail arsenal for years to come. Glassware can get complicated, so you don't need to worry about having anything fancier than a set of highballs or a couple martini glasses.

Other than that, these are the tools you should definitely have:

A Boston cocktail shaker

A fine strainer

A long spoon

A jigger (or 1/4 cup size Pyrex)

3. Simple and High-Quality--There's nothing as disappointing as a poorly-executed cocktail. When you're hosting a party, the last thing you want is to be overwhelmed by making drinks. You're supposed to be having fun, not being the bartender. Learn some simple drinks that you can execute well and quickly. If there's anything a little complicated, practice it before the day of the party. Another excellent choice is making punches or using multi-serving recipes for cocktails. Punches are festive and decorative and will serve the most guests the fastest.

Happy Entertaining!

Photo courtesy of MarthaStewart.com

Yellow Tail Thanksgiving Commercial

Love this ad for Thanksgiving!

Yellowtail Turkey Spot from San Charoenchai on Vimeo.

Restaurant Review : Balon

I had the pleasure of going to a beautiful wine bar and restaurant on the Upper East Side the other day. Located at 81st street between 2nd and 3rd Avenue in Yorkville, Balon is an excellent and cozy spot to linger with a glass of wine and to enjoy some spectacular food. 81st street on the East Side is a restaurant goldmine: four of my favorite food-haunts are located within a one block radius (there's Yuka, a high quality all-you-can-eat for $21 sushi bar; Alice's Teacup III, for tea and scones; and Luke's Lobster, for expensive but mouth-watering seafood and lobster treats). I would pass Balon when I went to these other restaurants, and every time I passed, I wanted to go in.

The ambiance is what first caught my eye. On a warm evening, the bay windows are opened above an iron grille decorated with vines and christmas lights to reveal a modern, minimalist interior decorated in warm tones offset by warm lighting. The interior is garden themed, and guests are welcomed to sit back in wicker chairs at tables decorated with bright roses. My friend and I were seated in the window seat for two, where we stayed for over 2 hours without interruption.

The wine list is impressive and offers wine either by the glass or the bottle. While it might be described as expensive, it is by no means overpriced for the quality of the food, ambiance, and service. Wines range from moderately priced to pricy (from $9 to $18 a glass), giving patrons a wide choice. The food selection is impressive and expertly-crafted. Entrees are in the $20-$24 range, but you can enjoy a dessert for $10.



My friend and I each opted for a glass of wine and a dessert. She chose the pumpkin bread pudding with a glass of prosecco, while I had a glass of Crozieres red accompanied by a molten chocolate lava cake.

Both were, to put it plainly, incredible. My friend and I agreed, without hesitation, that that was one of the best desserts we had ever had. My wine was excellent and the serving size was not skimpy. My dessert was ample and to die for.

Balon is excellent for a special evening with friends, or if you're looking for somewhere quiet where you can linger for hours. I would not hesitate to go back, and hope that I have an excuse to do so soon.