Review of Katie Chin’s Everyday Chinese Cookbook: 101 Delicious Recipes from My Mother’s Kitchen by Katie Chin

Like most Asian households, the room that gets the most attention is the kitchen. Childhood is spent in the kitchen watching/helping mom and grandma cook. Katie Chin was brought up this way by her mom and Katie Chin’s Everyday Chinese Cookbook pays homage to her late mother, Leeann Chin, who was a legendary chef and restaurateur. During a presentation and cooking demo at Melissa’s Produce, Katie shared some precious memories of her mom and some of the dishes that she prepared with her mom. Like any cuisine, some people are intimidated by the preparation/cooking techniques, spices not typically kept in the cupboard, and restaurant-type meals that they might think only a chef can prepare. Katie dispels all those myths with easy-to-follow techniques and recipes.

I’d like to give a big thank you to Melissa’s culinary team and Katie who prepared the following dishes with the utmost care and expertise.

In the “Starters and Dim Sum” chapter, Potstickers are typically made for Chinese New Year and symbolize prosperity. Katie reminisced about the time her mom taught her twins how to make these. The recipe uses napa cabbage, salt, ground pork, green onions, white wine, cornstarch, dark sesame oil, white pepper, potsticker wrappers, oil, shoyu, and sugar. These little pockets of goodness are very easy to make once you get the hang of the crimping and folding. Katie also mentioned that you can just fold it half to make a half moon shape too. Rating: 4.5/5

Spicy Beef Skewers is a fusion of Chinese and Korean flavors and is a dish that was born from their catering business. The recipe uses baking soda, water, beef flank steak, oil, shoyu, salt, garlic, ginger, sugar, ground red pepper, cornstarch, and hoisin sauce. These skewers actually reminded me of beef satay. The beef is tender with a shoyu/teriyaki flavor with a spicy kick. Rating: 5/5

Firecracker Shrimp is a recipe that came about from Chinese New Year. With the shrimp tails and carrots sticking out, they look like firecrackers. The recipe uses shrimp, garlic salt, spring roll wrappers, carrot, egg, oil, mayonnaise, and sriracha. This fanciful shrimp eggroll will have your family and friends wanting more. Make sure to make double because they will be gone before you know it. They are addictive! Rating: 5/5

In the “Salads” chapter, Chinese Chicken Salad has a legendary story behind how it came into being. Invented by Madame Wu in the 1960s when she served it to Cary Grant at her Santa Monica restaurant. He loved it and now there is some version of it at most restaurants. Katie’s version is a lighter version using fresh vegetables for full flavor and texture. The recipe uses rice wine vinegar, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, chili garlic sauce, EVOO (extra virgin olive oil), dark sesame oil, romaine, red cabbage, carrot, onion, almonds, rotisserie chicken, and wonton strips. The presentation is vibrant with color and refreshing in flavor. This would be great for a potluck or picnic. Rating: 5/5

Soy Ginger Edamame Salad is great for a hot summer day. The recipe uses shoyu, lime juice, rice vinegar, ginger, olive oil, dark sesame oil, salt, pepper, edamame, red bell pepper, jicama, green onion, pine nuts, and coriander leaves. This salad is good with vibrant color and flavor. I think it would taste better if it is made the day before so the seasonings and spices could seep into the edamame like a marinade. Rating: 4.5/5

In the “Beef, Pork and Lamb” chapter, Sichuan Beef is a popular dish that Katie makes for family reunions. The recipe uses top sirloin, oil, cornstarch, cornstarch, salt, white pepper, chili paste, shoyu, Chinese rice wine, water, sugar, hot chili oil, ginger, garlic, green onion, carrot, and Sichuan peppercorns. This dish is fantastic! The beef is so tender and the sauce is great over rice. I would probably swap out the carrots in favor of broccoli due to allergies. Rating: 5/5

In the “Drinks and Desserts” chapter, Chocolate-Raspberry Wontons are a quick and easy way to make handheld desserts in a flash. The recipe uses raspberries, water, sugar, cornstarch, Nutella, dumpling wrappers, egg, oil, confectioner’s sugar, and mint. These dessert wontons are fabulous! The Nutella and raspberry flavor pair quite well together inside the crispy exterior of a wonton. This is a great dish for parties. Rating: 5/5

Five-Spice Chocolate Cake was developed by Katie’s pastry chef friend, Theresa. The recipe uses flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, five-spice powder, bittersweet chocolate, brewed coffee, buttermilk, vanilla extract, eggs, sugar, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and powdered sugar. This spongy chocolate cake has an interesting twist with the five-spice. The only way to describe it is that it is similar to how ginger spice and cinnamon work in breads and pies, but different. Rating: 4.5/5

Make Katie Chin’s Everyday Chinese Cookbook part of your cookbook collection and you too can make Chinese food every day!

For more information:

Katie Chin’s Everyday Chinese Cookbook: 101 Delicious Recipes from My Mother’s Kitchen by Katie Chin 

Available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Indie Bound

On the search for an ingredient that you can’t find in the store, check out Melissa’s Produce’s website or call +1.800.588.0151.

Seasons 52 unveils their autumn menu in Costa Mesa, California

I have been a big fan of Seasons 52 since my first visit to their Fort Lauderdale location during the 2008 STS   (Society of Thoracic Surgeons) Conference where I managed the exhibition booth for Cardiogenesis. Fort Lauderdale is a beautiful location and has many dining choices. A couple of the sales reps and I headed over to see what Seasons 52 was all about. It was amazing to see how seasonal produce and meats were created with utmost care and visual appeal. In 2011, I also went to the Orlando location where one of my friend’s wanted to take me since I am such a foodie. He was disappointed that I already knew about Seasons 52 but I was so glad to go. Now, I don’t have to travel across the country to eat at Seasons 52 with a closer location at South Coast Plaza.

 

Here are some features from the new autumn menu:

Duck Wing “Lollipops” ($10.40) are tossed in a Korean gochujang red chili glaze and topped with sesame seeds. Duck wings are tender and much richer in flavor that chicken. It holds up well to the spicy gochujang, but would love a little more sweetness to come through. This is a very unique dish with beautiful presentation! Rating: 4.7/5

Artisan Cheese Fondue ($9.90) is made with cave-aged Gruyere and cheddar served with assorted breads. The gruyere is pungent with a strong flavor. It is perfect for the cheese connoisseur like myself. The cheese stayed perfectly gooey and worked well with all the different types of breads presented. Pita bread would be a great addition to the bread basket. Rating: 4.9/5

Mediterranean Braised Lamb Shank ($25.60) is served with autumn vegetables and Yukon mash. This is a great hearty autumn dish with the rich, tender lamb and Yukon potatoes. The fresh green beans lighten up the dish for an interesting contrast. Rating: 5/5

Roasted Manchester Farms Quail ($26.00) stuffed with mushroom risotto atop leaf spinach and bacon with a balsamic demi-glace. This is a very ample portion with three quails. The quail meat is tender and perfectly cooked. The mushroom risotto stuffing is excellent with an earthy flavor and creamy texture. The balsamic demi-glace drizzled over the quail adds a sweetness and a little acidity to the dish. Bacon adds a smoky, salty flavor which pairs well with the spinach. Rating: 4.5/5

Truffle Mac ‘n’ Cheese en Brodo ($6.70) is made with cave-aged Gruyere, cheddar, truffle zest, and panko crust. It definitely has the aroma and flavor of truffles but could be slightly cheesier as it was a little light. The panko adds a crunchy texture. The mushrooms add an earthy flavor and meaty texture. Rating: 4.5/5

And you can’t leave without trying some of Seasons 52 desserts!

Pumpkin Pie ($3.00) is layered with pumpkin mousse and gingersnap cookie. This tastes like a healthy version of pumpkin pie. It is more pumpkin/squash flavor forward and slightly teeters on savory. The mousse has a velvety texture. This definitely a light dessert! Rating: 4.1/5

Belgian Chocolate S’mores ($3.00) is layered with chocolate cake, rocky road mousse, toasted marshmallow, and chocolate-dipped graham cracker. This is a very dense and rich dessert. It is an upscale s’mores chocolate explosion. The presentation is a work of art! This would pair perfectly with a hot cup of coffee. Rating: 4.6/5

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cannoli ($3.00) is layered with ricotta, mascarpone, chocolate chips, raspberry sauce, and cinnamon cannoli shell. This tastes exactly like a cannoli from an Italian bakery. The ricotta and mascarpone consistency is perfect with lots of mini chocolate chips. The raspberry sauce adds a sweet tangy touch. I love that the cannoli shell is whole and you can dip it in like a spoon. Rating: 5/5

After shopping at South Coast Plaza, let the autumn winds sway you into Seasons 52 for a lovely dining experience!

Atmosphere: 5 out of 5 stars

Décor: 5 out of 5 stars

Service: 5 out of 5 stars

Food: 5 out of 5 stars

For more information:
Seasons 52

3333 Bristol St.

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

+1.714.437.5252

Hours: Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Parking: Free shopping center parking

Moe Cason Barbeque at the 2016 Horse Town Brew n’ Que Festival

It was time to rise and shine for an early morning drive to Norco, CA for the 2016 Horsetown Brew n’ Que Festival. We had the pleasure of covering my good friend, Moe Cason. You might know him from a show called BBQ Pitmasters, where he competed and also judged along with Myron Mixon and Tuffy Stone. Unfortunately, I could not actually see him until the end of the competition since I was selected as a judge for the competition. KCBS-sanctioned competitions have strict rules in which a judge may not enter a team’s site until after all judging is complete. Instead, I dropped the hubby off so he could video and photograph Moe in action. I waved to Moe from the car and went to the judging tent.

Here’s the great day my hubby had with Moe Cason:

Ron Moruzzi lent his smokers and equipment to use for the competition since Moe flew in for the competition.

Love the sign on this smoker, “Bone Lick’n Good”.

Moe prepping his Cornish game hens for the Chicken competition. Yes, you can use Cornish game hens for this category.

Moe adding his spice rub to the Cornish game hens.

Moe checking the temperature of his meats.

Moe getting his game plan ready as he waits for his meats to get to that perfect temperature.

Moe basting his pork ribs.

Cornish game hen drumsticks ready for the smoker.

Moe working on his turn-in boxes.

Cornish game hens are ready.

Pork ribs on the smoker.

Moe boxing his pork ribs for turn-in.

Moe separating the money muscle from the pork.

Time to sauce up the pork.

Pork is ready for turn-in. Look at that beautiful smoke ring on the sliced loin!

Moe slicing up the brisket. Look at the beautiful smoke ring!

Moe taking photos with his fans. The hubby said there were fans coming around all day long. He puts down what he’s doing to talk to his fans and take photos with them. He is the nicest guy in BBQ! Although, if you are a fan and out of courtesy, I would wait to meet any team or pitmaster until after the last turn-in. Moe is a one-man team so it is helpful to keep his focus on his meats. BBQ competitions are a sport and keep in mind, most of these pitmasters are running on little or no sleep to make sure their smokers are up to temperature and checking that their meats are not stalling.

After the judging was over, I made my way over to Moe’s pit to see my friend. Since he lives in Iowa, I don’t get to see him very often. I can’t wait to see him again at the World Food Championships in Orange Beach, AL.

For more information:

Horse Town Brew N’ Que Festival