Sweetened or Unsweetened?

We're starting to think there's a special day associated with practically everything out there. Donut Day, Chocolate Ice Cream Day and now Iced Tea Day. But hey, we like all three so why not celebrate?!

How do you take yours, sweetened or unsweetened?

Here in Seattle, the iced tea comes to the table automatically unsweetened, but I'd say more than half of the population adds some type of sweetener at the table, Splenda being quite popular in our 'all-natural' loving city.

I've been to Virginia and the sweet tea was phenomenal. In fact, everyone but my Seattle-transplanted girlfriend ordered it that way. It was funny to hear her actually have to ask for her tea to be plain, unsweetened.

In fact at dinner with family last week we had the "sweetener" conversation and it dawned on me just how particular people are about their tea. My auntie and grandma, both from California, insist on using saccharin. My mom has to have NutraSweet because the Splenda makes her break out in hives. Myself? Well, I'm a naturalist. I use sugar. Raw sugar to be specific. Even white refined sugar tastes like chemicals to me now. (As I sit here and eat Lay's potato chips. HA!)

We also spoke about the Paradise iced tea craze that spread around Seattle in the 1990's. Remember that? Not sure if it was as popular around other parts of the country but you either loved it or you didn't and most restaurants usually carried only one or the other. Wonder whatever happened to that Paradise iced tea.

Then I visited San Francisco a few years back and took a Culinary tour of China Town and my eyes were opened to the wide world of tea. Imported from China and Japan and in every shape, size and form you could ever imagine. Tea rolled into balls, green teas, teas that bloom when you steep them, and every type of tea I never even knew existed. It was quite impressive and that's where I learned that I had been steeping my tea way too long and that's why it always tasted so bitter.

But in my heart I will forever be an iced tea girl. Give me some nice Jasmine loose leaf, a giant pitcher stuck out in the sun for a few hours on a warm afternoon and I'm a happy girl.

So today at lunch or tonight at dinner, grab an iced tea and toast to another National Day of celebration. I'll be toasting with my 'Long Island'!

An attempt at glorious pad ped

A craving for tofu pad ped gripped my mind recently and would not let go.

Pad ped is a Thai dish that I have seen served only in Michigan. I think it translates – roughly – to “spicy stir fry,” and may have origins among the Hmong of Thailand. Michigan happens to have a large Hmong population (have you seen "Gran Torino"?). I have eaten Thai food at many restaurants here in Seattle, and also in New York, New England, Indiana and Colorado, but have not seen pad ped on the menu.

I suppose I should be more specific. I’m talking about tofu pad ped from Lamai’s Thai Kitchen in Lansing, Michigan. Lamai’s is a locally famous little spot inside a narrow building that used to be a bank … that used to be a diner. Lamai serves a lunch buffet every day on a different theme. I used to go on Thursdays, which was vegetarian day. At the end of the buffet table: a big mess of pad ped.

Jalapeno peppers help spice this dish

Lamai’s pad ped was extremely spicy and the sauce was thick. She tossed in sliced jalapeno peppers AND red chilies. She mixed in whole sprigs of Thai basil, which complemented the slightly sweet sauce with a hint of earthy licorice flavor. The tofu was cut into thin rectangles and was cooked just enough so it was firm, but still open to absorbing all of the flavors of the dish. 

My mouth is watering and my brow sweating just thinking about it ...

I have tried unsuccessfully over the past few years to replicate Lamai’s pad ped. But the effort is more urgent now that I live thousands of miles from Michigan. Last Friday, I set out to Seattle’s Uwajimaya grocery store – it’s a huge, famous Asian grocery store in the International District neighborhood. I bought a bag of jasmine rice, 2 jalapeno’s, a can (yes, a can) of red curry, a bunch of basil, a red pepper, a package of tofu and jasmine rice. It turned out to be my most successful pad ped attempt. Here’s how I did it:

Ingredients:

-1 regular size package of tofu

-1 tablespoon of brown sugar

-1/3 cup of rice wine vinegar (or any kind of vinegar)

-1-1/2 cup of Thai basil

-2 tablespoons of red chili paste

-1 white onion

-2 cloves of garlic

-2 jalapeno peppers

-1 red pepper

-1 can of red curry, preferably the kind pre-mixed with coconut milk

-1 teaspoon of corn starch

-1/2 cup of soy sauce (or less – enough for taste)

Start by cutting the tofu into thin rectangles. I usually cut the block in half lengthwise, which makes 2 rectangle shaped bricks, then slice from one end to the other. (Tip: freeze your tofu overnight for a meatier texture; defrost before cooking and squeeze out the water like a sponge.) Cook the tofu in a nonstick pan until brown (or blackened, which is how I like it), using a tiny amount of vegetable oil. Use rice wine vinegar to deglaze, if necessary.

While the tofu is cooking, chop the onion and red pepper into similar-size pieces, preferably squares half the size of the tofu. Chop the jalapeño into wheels, mince the garlic and chiffonade the basil. In a separate pan from the tofu, sweat the onions and garlic. Then add both peppers, cook for a few minutes, and pour in the can of red curry, the soy sauce, red chili paste and the rice wine vinegar. Cook until it starts to simmer, then add the brown sugar, corn starch and basil. Stir until just slightly thick, add the tofu and serve over a heap of jasmine rice.

Easy, right? The trick I’ve found is the red curry with the coconut milk already mixed in. In the past, I’ve used red curry paste plus a can of coconut milk. The milk overwhelmed the dish and made it too soupy. And, of course, you can substitute the tofu for any kind of meat.

My version is not as complex, wonderful and spicy as Lamai’s, but it’ll do. If you have a pad ped recipe, please let me know.

Yay! It's National Donut Day!

National Donut Day is not just about sweet, doughy, round treats. It’s a holiday (how come we don’t get off from work?) that began in 1938 as a fundraiser for the Salvation Army. It’s also a remembrance of women volunteers during World War I who delivered donuts to soldiers. It’s also where the term “Doughboy” came from, which was what American troops were called during that war (I’ve also heard, however, they were called doughboys because of the color of their uniforms …).

So check out your local donut shop and scarf down a few treats. Depending on where you live, Dunkin’ Donuts is offering free donuts, as is Krispy Kreme. Or, you could make your own at home.

Whatever the reason for National Donut Day, it’s always nice to have an excuse to eat a donut …

Plate replaces food pyramid - what do you think?

Discovering that Americans do not generally plan their meals with geometric shapes in mind, the U.S. Department of Agriculture unveiled a new food “pyramid” on Thursday. Obviously, it’s not a pyramid at all, but a plate and a glass (and a lonely looking fork). According to media reports, your average Joe is supposed to relate to this better.

Most notably, vegetables and fruits dominate the plate, with protein (as you can see, "meat" is not specified – leaving room for other protein-rich meat alternatives like soy, nuts or more vegetables) taking up a small portion. Actually, vegetables appear to be the largest share of the plate, with grains in second.

One problem I see is that the plate does not get too specific on portions. How much dairy is that glass supposed to represent? The bird’s eye view gives you no indication of volume.

Luckily, the actual Ag website behind the graphic is filled with good information.  They have links to recipes and diets specific to your condition – pregnant, trying to lose weight, etc. There’s a food search engine where you can find out how many calories are in a specific item, and plan how to fit it into your diet.

What do you think? Is this helpful to you? Will you use this graphic and the accompanying website to better plan your meals? 

Ketchup Salt? Bacon Rub? Weird? Definitely!

Our offices are located in South Seattle, in a warehouse, with a lot of cool neighboring businesses. Over the years we've made great friends with our neighboring peeps and have even come to do business with a few of them, which has been both fun and an honor for us here at ChefTools. One of our favorite neighbors are J&D's Foods - the makers of Baconnaise and BaconSalt.

A month ago they brought over some new products to sample and let me tell you, it was a buzz of excitement here in our offices. If there's one thing us chefs, cooks & foodies love, it's product samples to get excited about and share with the world and these new products filled with Baconny goodness were right up our alley.

Let's start with the Bacon Rub - um, hello?! It's absolutely fantastic! They nailed this one, it's all natural, Kosher, vegetarian and pretty low in the sodium department. But the taste? Well, let's just say that it will be going in my Father's Day gift this year because I know he is gonna love it! I can't wait to taste the goodies he'll be grillin' up on his trusty 'ol Traeger. Ribs, chicken, burgers - I'm thinking a brisket would be fantastic rubbed down in some good 'ol bacon lovin'!

Next up is the Ketchup Salt. For those of you who have traveled and eaten in Canada or parts of Europe, you'll understand this love for ketchup flavored goodness. Ketchup flavored potato chips are the norm there and they are delicious. For the rest of us who just so happen to love ketchup on everything and anything, then this salt's for you. It's light, not overly powerful and adds just a hint of the vinegary ketchup taste you might not think you're looking for, but will be pleasantly surprised to find.

As J&D's founding fathers put it:

"Is Ketchup Salt kind of weird? Absolutely. Is it weird that we dared to dream of a seasoning that would give us bold ketchup taste while keeping our fries crispy and our eggs smoking hot? Sure, it might be weird, but it's also innovative, forward-thinking, and dare we say patriotic?"

These two wonderful new products are being launched just in time for your BBQ filled summer. So, try them out and be weirdly surprised!

Let's get you grilling (safely!)

I doused the charcoals with lighter fluid and threw on a match. A tall flame exploded from the grill, striving to reach the wooden ceiling of my porch. Within a few seconds, the flames died down. I peered at the charcoals; they were black, as if they had never been lit. Guess I have to light it again, I thought.

I paused as I reached down to pick up the bottle of lighter fluid, wondering whether I should hold off. Would it be safe to re-light these so soon? The thought left my mind as quickly as it came. I tipped the bottle upside down and squeezed.

Boom.

The flames climbed the stream of lighter fluid quicker than my brain could process. The bottle exploded in my hand, flying across the porch; an explosion of hot air blew ash and dirt in a 10-foot radius around me. I stood stunned, wiping dirt off my face and checking to see if my eyebrows were still there.

A dumb grilling mistake that I shall never repeat. Good news is, the rest of the barbeque went fine, and, since no one was around to see me explode the grill, I kept it a secret. (And here’s a link to some good safety tips on grilling.)

I feel the need to retell it, though, because we are at the beginning of grill season. I hope all your barbeques went well over the Memorial Day weekend, and I hope they continue to go well for the rest of the summer. Grilling is one of the most enjoyable ways to cook (and we can cook virtually anything on a grill thanks to improvements in grill tool technology). There are a million great websites out there for grilling; here are two: Saveur’s newest issue is dedicated in part to grilling; also, CNN (of all news outlets) has put together a couple of simple, science-based grilling tips.

Good luck, and hang on to your eyebrows!

Catch the geoduck if you can ...

I just listened to an interesting segment on a radio show on how to catch geoducks. If you do not know, a geoduck is a species of clam with a large, sometimes wrinkly, rather phallic, “neck.” The radio show host described them as a clamshell with a fire hose sticking out. That’s probably the cleanest way to describe them. Like clams, geoducks are quite tasty and sought after. And some can reach 6 feet long, packing far more meat than the standard clam.

Geoducks live 3 to 4 feet below the surface of the sand. They do not move fast, and they cannot retract their neck into their shell, but digging down that far is a challenge for some. The guest on the show, Langdon Cook, author of the Fat of the Land foraging blog, described an excellent way to catch these guys: like a “bank robber moving in next door to a bank,” Cook said that you have to set up shop adjacent to the geoduck (you can tell it’s down there from an oblong “tell” hole at the surface of the sand). Put a hollowed out bucket next to the tell, and dig down, using the bucket to keep your hole from collapsing.

When you get down three feet – and this is the part that troubles me – you have to dig across toward the geoduck’s lair and feel around in the wet sand for him, or her. I am sure this is an excellent way to catch geoducks. But I have always had trouble with scenarios that involve putting limbs into the homes of wild animals – especially underwater ones. I am 100 percent positive that the geoduck does not have teeth or poison barbs, but … it just sounds nauseating. I once got sick watching a show about these guys who went noodling – that type of fishing where you stick your arm into a catfish hole, wait for it to bite you, then pull it out. No thanks.

Anyone have any good geoduck stories? Whether it’s a good recipe, a funny geoduck catching story, or a good method on how to catch them, let us know!

(geoduck photo by Jesper Rautell Balle)

Remembering Our Fallen Soldiers

The thought of Memorial Day conjures up all the emotions of a three day weekend.

Camping, barbecuing, block parties and even just relaxing around the homestead.

But we must also remember the true meaning of Memorial Day:

to commemorate the men and women who have died fighting for our freedom.

We here at ChefTools hope each and every one of you have a wonderful weekend

filled with good food, good friends

and creating great memories with family.

Take time to celebrate the lives of our fallen soldiers

and rejoice in the freedoms they have secured for us.

Happy Memorial Day!

Photo courtesy of: Gulfstream Aisle Apartments

Blood Bones and Butter

Not exactly the pretty picture you conjure up when planning a menu, but when it comes down to it, blood, bones and butter are the heart and soul of not only the meal, but also the spirit.

Gabrielle Hamilton is the chef and creator of Prune restaurant in New York and the author of Blood, Bones, and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of A Reluctant Chef. It's also the book I've just finished for my latest book club selection. Not only was it a heartfelt, soul-touching, and inspiring book for someone like myself who loves to garden and to cook, but more than that it was a raw and honest look into the life of an accomplished chef and a growing and changing woman. In order to honor this amazing chef who cooks extraordinary food in a way I think she would appreciate, I'm throwing a brunch party for our next book club meeting, including recipes from the author herself.

The setting of the brunch will be on my back deck, tucked into the woods, overlooking a salmon-spawning stream. Fun antique kitchen & garden decor, beautiful outdoor serveware and fresh, basic food from the Farmers Market will set the stage. Taking advice from the book, I want everyone to be comfortable, well fed and to thoroughly enjoy themselves.

The menu? Caramelized onion, crisp bacon and thyme quiche will be served with a dollop of ricotta on the side - of course topped with drizzled honey, fresh seasonal fruit and pine nuts. My new favorite salad in all of the land: ruby red grapefruit and avocado tossed with fresh cilantro and a basic shallot vinaigrette served over butter lettuce. Thick toast coated in butter, fresh squeezed orange juice, and of course my favorite Cafe Verona coffee from my beloved Starbucks, brewed very strong.

There's nothing like sharing a home-cooked, simple meal with close friends. And celebrating the words of a no-nonsense, down to earth, praised chef? Well, that just makes it all the more meaningful. Blood, Bones and Butter - let Gabrielle Hamilton's experiences mold the way you cook, celebrate and appreciate life.

Photo of Blood, Bones and Butter courtesy of Amazon.com

To Snail Or Not To Snail

That was the question, for me at least, while dining at Balthazar Restaurant in New York City a couple of years ago.

A bunch of us girls got together and flew to NYC to be part of the Martha Stewart Shows studio audience for a show about "Girlfriends." I tried my hardest to get reservations at Babbo, even getting up at 2:00am to start calling right at 5:00am EST, when the restaurant listed it would start taking reservation calls for the day. I also had to call exactly 30 days in advance, and although we struck out on Babbo, we got in at the groups other coveted restaurant - Balthazar.

My friend Angela loves everything to do with France and since we WERE at a French restaurant, she wanted to eat like the French and try the Escargot. Although we are quite adventurous food-eaters, not a single one of us seven ladies had tried snails before. And honestly, being a gardener myself, the thought of eating one of the little yellow critters I toss when I find 'em hanging on my Clematis Vines, kinda creeped me out.

Since we had already downed a couple bottles of wine and the buzz of the wine coupled with the thrill of being in New York City together had gone straight to our heads, we all decided that it would be the perfect time and place to slurp back a slimy snail. To Snail it would be!

And you know what? It really wasn't all that bad. It tasted like herb-infused garlic butter. The texture, on the other hand, not my favorite thing in the world but definitely not something I'd stick my nose up if ever dining at Brasserie Le Halles or Le Bernardin. And now we can all say that we've tried escargot.

So on this 24th of May - National Escargot Day - go ahead and slurp back a slimy snail or two - that way you can say you've had it and will never have to try it again. (Hey, you can even come take all the snails you want out of my yard, they might not be the culinary treat of French chefs, but they sure would help my brussel sprouts and cauliflower from being eaten alive.)