Snap Crackle Pop, Banh Phong Tom
October 2nd, 2010 § 2 Comments
I waited so long to take my bag of instant prawn crackers – banh phong tom in Vietnamese – for a test drive, a souvenir from my trip to Southeast Asia this summer. It must have been a silly attempt to prevent them from running out! Silly of course, because I hadn’t been able to enjoy them which is, well… the point.
I have always loved noshing on these puffed snacks at Vietnamese and Indonesian restaurants stateside when they have them. They’re nom nom. In Miami, Bali Cafe downtown has a few kinds, even one made in-house! (Ask for kroepoek there.) « Read the rest of this entry »
Confessions of a Dabbler in Impure Olive Oil
July 26th, 2009 § 1 Comment
Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who's the fairest of them all?
Forgive me foodies, for I have sinned. Buy one get one free beckoned on the shelf, and I acted impulsively. Now in my pantry, two 25.5 fluid ounce bottles of Bertolli Extra Light Tasting Olive Oil. I repeat, Bertolli Extra Light Tasting Olive Oil.
What does that even mean?! We know what it doesn’t mean. It doesn’t mean extra virgin, unfiltered, un-fettered, and artisan-crafted. It doesn’t carry papers for clearance into any respectable Italian restaurant, probably even in Miami. The sublime squeeze of the fruit of peace has been bound and broken into a mild mannered, pale shadow of its former self. It’s surprising that Italian customs even let this disgrace out of the country.
But wait! Its subtle taste is considerate of other ingredients, making no attempt to upstage when drizzled. And its high smoke point of 468 degrees renders it a powerhouse for high-heat cooking, both for baking and in the pan.
Make sure to use a super-hot pan and then let the skirt rest to lock in those gorgeous juices!
Like Asian-flavored salad dressings? For a meal on the fly, try using three parts extra light olive oil to emulsify one part Soy Vay Veri Very Teriyaki, half a part balsamic vinegar and a quarter part spicy, brown grain mustard. Shake in a small Tupperware container, dress a mixture of iceberg, shredded carrots and sliced radishes (aka “American” pre-mixed salad — or use the one with the sliced radicchio,) and top with seared slices of medium-rare churrasco steak seasoned with just a bit of Badia Sazon Completa marinated in.
Move over Canola. Lay like broccoli vegetable oil. Extra Light Tasting olive oil has a rightful place as a canvas for dishes both hot and cold. Because die-hard fans of the olive know that it can take a back seat, but should never have to be banished.
No thick skin here.
Bromunches Burgers at Whisk
May 27th, 2009 § Leave a Comment
Yes Kev, it's all you.
It’s family chow time at Whisk in Coral Gables! Check out what this week’s Big Friday Burger will be, today on Short Order.
