DIY Limoncello

I was completely fine with the manufactured limoncello, the Italian lemon liquer, that are now easily available at BevMo...until Justin and Olaina came back from Rome with a small bottle of the real stuff.

I have been in search for a palatable manufactured one since then. And I have not found one that even comes close to the little bottle Italy-shaped bottle from Rome.

While I researched for those, I found that limoncello could be made at home, and found a recipe.

Hell, yes! I made the Strawberry-infused sake already. This should be cake walk.

Essentially, it boils down to this.

You soak pith-free peels of 20-25 wax-free, preferably organic lemons in a bottle of Everclear and a bottle of regular Smirnoff vodka for 2-4 weeks in a cool, dark place. Drain and add simple syrup made of 4 cups sugar and 4 cups water. Stick it in the fridge for another couple of days (I leave it for a week).

Yes, dear. I did say Everclear.



Everclear to get the flavors out. Good vodka to round out the edges. I found some other recipes that use 2 90-proof Smirnoff instead. But I think Everclear probably does better job.

But then, there were a few hurdles.

The first hurdle, finding organic, wax-free lemons. I'm sure I probably could pick up those at Whole Foods or something, but I'd prefer someone's backyard lemons. So I bartered with my coworker Rob: a bottle of limoncello for 20+ lemons.

The second hurdle, peeling them lemons. Okay. Call me paranoid. From what I read up, a wee little bit of white pith could turn the batch bitter. So, I painstakingly, may be even unnecessarily, scrape each and single piece of lemon peel I carved off the lemons. It took at least 2 hours.

I set up a little station in front of the TV with a bag of lemon, a glass jar, a garbage bowl, a peeler, and a small paring knife and put in a DVD. And to town I went on the lemons.

The rest is gravy.



You just have to plan it out, you know. Obviously, you can make it today and have the stuff tomorrow. My first batch was done in the fall. The second batch is now wrapping up in the fridge, waiting to be bottled for Christmas.

I found Cost Plus to have all sorts of bottles. I also bought a few little jars to make sample shots for Limoncello virgins. Just tell your friends to KEEP THE BOTTLES for refill later. ;-)

You can use all sorts of other bottles for this too. Paul gave me an empty scotch bottle with a cork-top which is totally awesome. And here I am, downing a New Zealand sparkling mineral water for the bottle for Shane.



The effort and patience to make this was definitely huge. But trust me. It's soooo worth it! It tastes fabulous and make fantastic gifts.

Wayward Chef

Please say hello to my friend Dusita aka Chef Kipf! She's been taking classes at Dusit Thani Culinary school since July with my best friend Tong. Great pictures of some Thai food you won't see in restaurants in America and her journey as a culinary student.

Come on down and follow Kipf on her culinary journey!

Happy Halloween

My apology for having been absent so long . Thrill the World has finally come to a close, officially, although I have to lead another mini team of zombies to dance at Halloween on Pine once more before we can call the whole thing quit.

The big team, over 100 zombies, are going to perform at the Clippers half-time show on the same night. I'm sticking with my hometown(ish) because I'm cool like that. Besides, I just made some money for Inner-City Arts for not being up at Staples Center. So yey, me.

Anyhoo. Happy Halloween, everybody!

Tales of Two Restaurants: The RH and Bottega Louie

Wednesday, I was at the RH at the Andaz West Hollywood. I've heard of the Andaz because of Blogger Prom back in February, the event I missed out on. Long story short, I was invited back to dine at the RH along with my boss.

And what a meal it was.

Starters: Shrimp ceviche (that's SAY-VEE-CHAY, Jennifer of Top Chef), not that thrilled about. Heirloom tomatoes salad with local goat cheese...oh my god good. Talk about things in season tastes best!



But there was the Peregordine egg which is fois gras topped with poached egg and sauteed mushrooms topped with truffle with truffle buttered toasts for dunking.



I had to pinch myself as to how good that was. Actually I tweeted that I would bathe in it. @davidmoyle joked back that it would make an interesting shoot. I told him if the Andaz would give me a bath tub full of it, he could totally shoot me. It's that good.

Oh god, I'm drooling thinking about that.

Main courses brought me the scallop daily special with roasted summer veggies. Perfectly cooked as everything was, it didn't blow my mind.

Nhien's order of duck confit, however, it was as good as Irene Virbila of LA Times says. She gave me a couple of bites to taste in exchange for one of my scallops. Crispy skin. Moist, delicious, tender meat.

I wanted to steal her plate and ran with it. Unfortunately, I was wedge between Nhien and our host Jaime in the comfy booth in the back. Dang...



We topped off with blood orange sorbet, a crisp, clean, and refreshing day to end the meal. The pear tart I have heard so much about just had to wait another day as I couldn't even find room for it.

On Friday, I finally made my way to the much celebrated Bottega Louie in Downtown LA. We were not disappointed...much.

Well, I really wish there were more flavors for the Italian sodas. But that's just me. Portabello fries with herb aioli? Good lord, why didn't WE think of that?! A coworker ordered magherita pizza which wasn't bad but I didn't jump up and down for it. Neither did I for the Ceasar salad my boss ordered.

However, my Trenne (pen shaped) pasta, braised New York steak with kale, surprised me. The pasta was toasted up crispy. Yes, the perfectly al dente pasta with a crispy edge. It looked like fries at first sight. And boy, the textures were perfect altogether. Out of the ballpark, this dish.



We couldn't walk out of the place without checking in on the dessert counter. The back holds the "cold" stuff like the bitty fruit tarts, creme brulee looking tarts, and the eclairs. The front by the door as the colorful (and quite tasty, as we discovered) macaroons and cupcakes.



Thank GOD Bottega Louie wasn't closer to the office. I would break my back eating there everyday. Seriously.

ETA: For the price, I would definitely say the RH gives me more bang for the bucks. That quality, yummy food in the super sleek setting? You would've thought it would break your bank, but it doesn't. VERY reasonable.

Bottega Louie is a toss for me value wise. Did I feel like I got $15 worth out of my pasta? Yes, I did. $2 for the bitty fruit tarts? Yes, of course. But, I felt like I was paying a lot more for the meal than I did at the RH. Just sayin'.

Brown Butter Ice Cream with Bacon

First, I must thank Pim, "queen of food bloggers" at Chez Pim and now also author of The Foodie Handbook.

It's her Brown Butter Ice Cream recipe that brings us to this monumental moment in my food biography.

Kids, I have made the perfect ice cream to mix the bacon into.



I made Brown Butter and Bacon Pasta back in the early days of HmmFoodGood, and have been in love with the flavor combination since. Naturally, when I read about Pim's ice cream, the first thought that came to mind was, "Hmm...I wonder if we could put bacon in it..."

Off I went, following all the steps listed in Pim's recipe down to the tee...well, except for the chilling in the fridge part.

There are TWO trickiest points in this recipe you must take heed.

First, browning the butter. Too brown and you'll have to strain off the burned chunks. Too light and you won't have the nutty buttery goodness. Once the pot started to foam up, I watched that thing like that Ice Age rat watches an acorn. I had to keep picking up the pot and swirl the foams away to check on the color since I can't see through the foams. This is when your nose comes into play. The moment the butter smells nutty, you know you're there.

I did have all the little brown bits and I kept them in. Not only they looked pretty, they tasted really frakkin' good.



Second and lastly, the sugar. When you're done with the custard and you taste it before sticking it in the fridge to chill, you would feel like it needs a little bit more sugar.

DON'T. ADD. MORE. SUGAR. Pim has configured this out to perfection. Trust me on this one. As a matter of fact, trust HER. It doesn't taste too sweet now but when everything mellows out in the freezer, you will find that it is perfect exactly where it is.

Now, the chilling before churning. I learned the metal-bowl-in-iced-water trick from my first ice cream experience. Almost instant gratification, I like! So, after blending, I poured the custard in a metal pot partly submerged in iced water and whisked it about until the mixture is chilled.



My one mistake was in the churning. I think I might have taken the mixture off the machine a bit too soon. Patience surely is not one of my virtues. Haha!

But deep down, my real fear is that I would keep "tasting" the mixture and there wouldn't be any left to freeze.

Instead of the creamy, scoop-able goodness I should've gotten, my ice cream is rock solid out of the freezer. However, after leaving it out, it's totally easy to scoop and as smooth and creamy as it was supposed to be.

If this somehow happens to you, I'd suggest about 10 minutes before you're ready for dessert, put the ice cream in the fridge. It'll be ready for scooping then.

Hence, a wee bit issue with photographing them. I have to let it soften enough to scoop. But then it starts to melt REALLY fast. So please, pardon the melt in these photos.

First up. THE reason why we make this ice cream in the first place: apple wood smoked bacon. Crispy fried and chopped to sprinkle-able perfection.



The sweet. The salty. The buttery. The nuttiness. The smokiness. The cold. The warm. The custard. The crunch. The melt. The chewiness.

This has everything you'd ever want in food in texture and flavors. It was perfect. PERFECT!

Someone call Saint Peter and tell him that I am now ready for those Pearly Gates.

The bacon topping got me concern about actually adding the bacon bits into the ice cream mixture itself. If we do that, we would lose that crunch.

I must experiment with making the bacon cups for this... OOOOHHHH...

Topping #2 is for the less adventurous. Since I didn't have any Fleur de Sel to use per Pim's suggestion--and nor did my local Bristol Farms--I went with Murray River pink flake salt from Australia. Oh, and the pink flaky salt melts so fast I couldn't even catch a picture of it.

The salt cuts the sweet just right. And even if it melted off, the mildly saltiness lingered on the bite when you get to it still. It was wonderful.

And finally, topping #3 for the "normal" people: turbinado sugar. It provides the wee bit of crunch and the extra sweet kick. And it looks pretty on a plate.



Two ice creams under my belt now. I think I'm feeling a wee little bit cocky. Hahah!

So, go ahead. Make a suggestion for my next ice cream adventure!

Sweet Sensations

Once again, I followed Elizabeth to one of her cooking classes. This time at the Cypress Community Center. A very nice facility with the industrial kitchen which fit 12 people a wee bit too snugly but we managed.

On the menu were three summer desserts: Fruit Crisps, Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting, and Dark Chocolate Mousse.

I was happy with my decision to grab a small dinner before heading out the class. The torture some of the hungry students had to suffer while busying themselves with all these lovely ingredients was tremendous, apparently.

Our class was split into essentially 4 groups. 2 to attack the fruit crisps and one each to the red velvet and chocolate mousse.

I was there purely for the chocolate mousse. Brandon LOVES chocolate mousse, and, as I found out from Elizabeth, it's actually a non-dairy dessert. And this whole time I thought it was chocolate and cream! But I digress.

I was in the group with Darlene whom I met before at the basic cooking class at PREP and another girl. Darlene was in charge of the chocolate. The other girl whipped up the yolks. And I did the egg whites and final assembly.

Elizabeth would stop whatever everyone was doing so we could watch the key part about each of the recipe.



For the fruit crisp, she explained how the size of the fruit cubes is important to the texture of the cooked product. Smaller chunks of fruit = mushier fruit filling.

For the red velvet cake, a recipe Elizabeth adapted from her aunt from Arkansas, we watch to see where we'd stop with the red and that the secret ingredient is buttermilk and vinegar.



For the mousse, we watched closely for the "ribbon stage" as we whipped the heck out of egg yolks, and the soft peak for the egg whites. Elizabeth could be heard several times, "Oakley, stop banging on the bowl!". I kept forgetting that hitting the bowl would settle all the air I was trying to whip in. Whoops.



And of course, the fold.

Folding the fluffy ingredients correctly will maintain the airiness. (No. Banging. On. The. Bowl!) I've folded stuff before but put on the spotlight in front of class, somehow I was like a neanderthal being handed a stick for the first time. I was quite frustrated as to why I couldn't fold properly.

It wasn't until I got home did I realize that DO know how to fold. I usually hold the spatula in my LEFT hand, folding to the right. Elizabeth was showing the class with the right hand going to the right and that was how I held the spatula, and THAT was why I couldn't do it right.

Ah, the joy of being ambidextrous.

In the end, we all enjoyed the fruits of our labor--almost literally. The fruit crisps were yummy. The red velvet cakes were just right...even the little baby ones!



The dark chocolate mousse? It definitely rivals my all-time favorite Belgian Chocolate Mousse from Fresh & Easy.

Oh god. Now I crave the rich chocolatey goodness. ARGH!

We've been spotted!

Kids, our humble little blog has been nominated for an award at Just-Spotted.com. Who knew we would get this kind of love from the OC!

So, spread the word around and go vote for us, would ya? I'd be grateful if we're not dead last. ;-)

A quick fish dish...ginger honey lime glazed opah

I threw this together Friday night, and we really liked the results. We're not big on marinating fish in citrus when I'm going to cook it as it tends to make much of the fish a bit mushy. So I went with a glaze. Sorry I don't have exact amounts. You can add more or less of things to suit your taste.

In a small saucepan, mix:
2-4 tbsp honey
the zest of a lime
the juice of two limes
1/4 cup sake
1/4 tsp fresh grated ginger, along with a few slices of the ginger
a dash or two of soy sauce

Chop up some macadamia nuts and roast them in a 400F oven for 5 minutes or so, until brown and toasty.

Simmer on low heat until reduced and syrupy

For the fish:
1 good sized fillet of opah or other firm fish
2 tbsp flour
salt and pepper
1 tsp wasabi powder

Mix flour and seasonings in a shallow dish. Lightly coat fish, just enough so it won't stick to the pan like crazy. Heat a skillet over moderate heat, add a bit of olive oil, then cook the fish to desired degree of "done". Remove from pan, let rest a moment or two, slice and plate. Spoon over the sauce, sprinkle with some of the nuts, and serve with a veg and some steamed white rice. Yummy!

KitchInspirations: Corn Fritters Challenge

July brought us a corn fritters challenge at KitchInspirations! Fresh or canned or frozen corn in a batter. That's pretty much the rules.

I have completely forgotten that Thai people do corn fritters too, Tod Mun Kaopoad. And that is what I ended up making.

Vines, Brews, and Food

Our contributor Mrs. Tooth has been quite a busy bee with moving into a new home and building her dream kitchen and wine cellar. On top of that, she started her own blog at VinesBrewsFood.Blogspot.com.

Head down that direction for a more expert level home cookery than what we have going on here at this joint. ;-) And of course, the wine she drinks and the beer Mr. Tooth brews.