Icy Sky-- Chinese BBQ(沙茶) Spare rib with ginger white bean puree,cilantro in pita pocket

Aha, these is really something international:

Shacha((沙茶) --Chinese

White bean puree--Italian

Pita-Greek

I think I enjoyed it more than holding a piece of rib.

Chinese Shacha BBQ(沙茶) Spare rib:

Dry rub: Chinese five spices powder, salt , pepper, coriander(optional), cayenne pepper(optional)

(Dry rub overnight)

Marinade:  shacha sauce, oyster sauce

(marinade 2 hrs ahead )

Drizzle rice vinegar before put into the oven

350F foil covered 2.5 hrs, brush more marinade sauce, 400F 10mins or so

After it is cool, take the meat off from the bone, chopped

Ginger White Bean Puree

white bean, ginger juice, white pepper, a little bit chicken stock, oliver oil

drizzle shacha oil or hot chili oil

What is this?!

It is the icy sky!

It is the Charles river in the winter, gorgeous,isn't it?

I should fight and try to stay here, I don't think I will be as happy as now if I move to another place.

Listening to the birds singing-- Peanut Chipotle BBQ baby back with cheddar sweet corn polenta and red cabbage mango slaw

--(:(:(:(:( this pic looks so fake
This is Bobby Flay's recipe!, His Mexican bbq sauce, I love it, and I don't think I want to buy bbq sauce from store any more.  The highlights are chipotle chilies puree, molasses and, and ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,PEANUTBUTTER(old fashion,unsweetened)

The secret for BBQ:
1. Dry rub: my coffee rub -No.1 recommended Mexican Coffee Ancho  rub( I still prefer doing it overnight)
2. Drizzle red-wine vinegar before put it into the oven( this is the secrete to make it fall off from the bone)
3. 350F, sealed in the foil, 2.5hrs(at least 2 hrs)
4. pour the bbq sauce over , 400 F, another 10mins

Red cabbage mango slaw( no mayo version):
red cabbage
mango( along with the mango juice with you working on it)
red onion
apple cider vinegar,
Dijoin mustart
sugar
oliver oil

Among all the iron chefs, I think I like Bobby most :) He is so creative, steady and mature chef and his food always tastes the best, his dish is art for sure but he never lets it overwhelm the fact it is food, he never sacrifice the taste in order to go for the appearance.
(also , he is not fat but pretty fit : DDDD)

How many birds at most have you ever seen ?
Ok, you might see some birds migration
But....
How many birds at most have you ever heard them singing together?
How many birds at most sitting in a tree have you even seen ?
Well, this is the picture  I have seen frequently outside my window

they are just singing happily, flying orderly

The happiness of receiving a post card--coconut banana shrimp ball

I think this is the first time I got a post card since I got to the States, although it is for the resident proof and I asked him to send it to me, but still it looks like a super surprise for an ordinary day,  I thought it was lost, since it had been almost two weeks, and it turned out to be  a surprise.

I hope my friends that have got my postcards were as happy as I am now, since they were actually really unexpected. Everytime, when I sent out a post card, I would be nervous, would it arrive? how long would it take ? would you like it? All kinds of guessing  were haunting around until I got a 'thank you' letter, then I got relieved. But still, I couldn't get to know how it was when you found it in a bunch of billing mails, commercial mails,  did you smile? did you  imagine how I was when I wrote down those words? did your day get a little bit brightened? ....well, right now, I know!

Thank YOU, XGs!

(1st time)

(2nd time)

This shrimp ball also has a little connection with travelling. It was I took connection in San Francisco when I flew back from Seattle. I had a dim sum stuff, called banana shrimp roll, it sounded interesting and was very delicious, I didn't know shrimp and banana had this kind of friendship : D

Shrimp ball with banana

shrimp, cilatrol or scallion, oyster sauce, white pepper, starch, egg white, coconut milk, cubed banana

Marmalade dip: orange marmalade, dijion marstard,

I made it twice, the first time, there was too much panko, which made it not taste very coconut, and the banana didn't get cooked enough to be soft

the second time, I reduced the amount of shrimp, the shrimp layer was thinner, then the banana got cooked well also added coconut milk into the shrimp, and it made it very moisture.

It takes time for cheese to get melt(*panini*)--zucchini pine nut risotto with basil

Today, I got to know a new definition about heaven, ' rushed into a cafe with an empty stomach, watching your panini pressed in the grill forever, eventually get the first bite..........' oh, yes, I am above the heaven!

Well, we all know, it takes time for cheese to get melt, its PANINI, it's 'toasties' :P

I don't have gear, I can't make real panini at home, this is a story about risotto, a story about stirring, waiting, then getting to the heaven :)

You won't be alone--Salmon Gravlax tart(whole wheat) with tomato bruschetta filling

One of the mission to Seattle was to bring little robot back. I got one when I visted there in spring break, and gave it to a friend, since summer ended, I had been missing it so much, what I had by hand was only the picture of it:

so I decided to bring it back when I visited seattle again. The past year, it looks like I had a lot of connections with the west coast,  so in Christmas I got to fly there again. When I got to the store, I was surprise to see its  sisters( I assumed the ones in red) and brothers ( in blue), so I brought them all back home to make sure they have their family here in Cambridge too.

Honestly, when I am having it in hand, it feels very strange... And I find little robots can't hug each other, when I put the arms of one on the other one, it looks like one is hitting the other 8-\

And this, is more like dancing tango  -_-"

Back to the food, this is another 'Wwo' food for me, and it also involves lots of works. Firstly, I made myself salmon gravlax, besides those regular ingredients for curing it, I added ginger. I had been worried about how it would come out for 48 hrs, but it really doesn't let me down, sweet, spicy, melt in mouth.

Tart is made from whole wheat fillo sheets.

The filling is similar to bruschetta, tomato, tomato paste, garlic, shallot, basil, Parmesan , work in a sauce pot, let it reduce, then use  a filter to get the sauce, fill the content into the tart. Add some olive oil into the liquid as the sauce.

Bake first time ( 375F) to make the tart shell, after the shells are formed, fill the tomato fillings into the shells, bake (400 F) second time. At last, add the salmon on the top of each tart, dizzled them with the sauce.

This is a recipe I read from a book( 'the cook's book, concise edition') , and made some modifications .

the filling is so creamy, I can't tell which is tomato sauce ,which part is salmon ! and the shell is just so crispy, .........................

Plant--Beet Ginger Pear soup

I like pretty stuffs, so whenever I see something beautiful, I will try to re-produce it. Love it and it is very delicous too. I added pear which gives it a fresh sweetness and also increase the amount of ginger.

Beet Ginger Pear Soup:

Beet, ginger, pear, leek,  chicken stock, thyme, parsley, bay leaf

Use blender.

And next time, I will roast beet first,  it was a 'bloody' work to cut them : p

This is a *Giant* Josh Tree seed I got from Josh Tree NP, let me plant it at the beginning of 2010. It’s all about hope, good luck, my giant josh tree, let me make a record for you here.

Stuffed squid with red pepper coulis ( gaogao version)

I was going to make some basil oil, but saw it in the market, super happy to have it.(It doesn't look very green, is it?)

Sadly I can't re-produce the stunning presentation. A good chef is also an artist, I have been amazed by the plating by the masters in 'iron chef', and they are just able to come up with those ideas in such a short time!

But still, the taste is always the most important part with no doubt. Long way to go, gaogao

Also , I noticed julie and julia group have a post about 'the most complicated thing I have ever made' in facebook, I guess, for me, they they are portobella bruschetta and this guy :) well, the work is always paid off and super worthy. Remember, how much care you put into it, how much taste it gives back to you .

I want a golden 2010, which starts from a fresh Spring--Roast golden beets, red grapefruit,roasted hazelnut salad with orange vinaigrette

Roast golden beets, red grapefruit,roasted hazelnut salad with orange vinaigrette

Emm...I want my 2010 to be a golden year, I do, because it is a crutial year, I am going to finish my student life and start my career. I want an energetic start.

Not sure since when, I got to be afraid to make plans, subconsciously I assumed I wouldn't be able to accomplish it. But, really , it has been feeling so good that I can sleep 10 hours a day <(-O .

In Bosotn, spring won't really come until April, but it will be too late. Gaogao's spring should start now, wake up, get back on track, make plans, just DO it,

My memory about beets was all from those canned beets, you know how they taste like. But now, it shows up in the supermarkets, always happy to use the in season vegetables. It is my first time to have golden beet and roast it from scratch. Wwo, I claim beets become one of my favorite vegetables.It is sweet like sweet potato but juicy like a fruit( I can’t come up with a more proper match)

Orange vinaigrette: orange juice, champion vinegar, sugar/honey, Dijon mustard , shallot, olive oil

My 2008 : O, My 2009: !! ???

I thought my 2009 would end in Times Square, sharing the moment with people from all over the world, excitedly but chilly. In fact it ended in playing games with my friends in a cozy house, no bell but laughter. It was very impressive because I accidently checked the time on my phone, it was exactly 12:00am, then we wished happy new year to each other during the first minute of the new decade.

My 2009... well, it was more like a loop, a runner finished his route and went back to the start point, exhausted but gratified. I have been growing but not mature enough yet, I know about myself more but I will not be surprised if something more is discovered. I feel thankful and lucky, because I know you, my friends, and I know you better, my old friends. It was not a super happy year, but when I look back, I can see you at each single delighted moment, thank you all :)

The wish, I never ask too much, and just hope if I work hard, my efforts will be paid off. But still, I am very excited about the unknowns in 2010, who will be my new great friends? what kinds of cool experiences will happen to me? which great places will be pinned on my tripadvisor map?

I guess you already heard a lot of 'happy new year', so let me wish you a hopeful new year, which means a lot, isn't it?

When the sale assistant asked me to pick up a pink dog for free, since I started to favor the color of golden, I picked up this one for sure. Then I saw it had a ‘HOPE’ on it, suddenly my world got brightened.

This is something I learned from here, I love the stunning presentation and tried to copy it, but it looks like there are a lot of plating skills I need to learn. But I want to say something about the coulis here. When I was making it, I doubted if it was really worthy with so much work , and I talked to myself if maybe I should just used the canned roasted pepper, but after I had the first taste of it, OMG, it is one of the amazing sauce I have ever made, I felt like all my work had been paid off. I just used red pepper, added Spanish smoke paprika, I guess it would be more authentic if I used piuillo pepper. Also for the stuffing, I added celery and sweet corn, which proves to be a great company.

Spanish Stuffed Flounder roll with Red Pepper Coulis:

Stuffing: chorizo, shallot, garlic, celery, sweet corn, thyme, pine nuts, bread crumbs

Red Pepper Coulis: red pepper( roasted , peeled and chopped), garlic, shallot, chicken stock, Spanish smoke paprika, light cream.

Fish roll: pre-season the fish fillet with white pepper and a little bit salt, lemon juice. Make the rolls, and use teeth picks to secure them. Use the wine and Spanish oliver oil as the bed for the fish roll, brush the fish with olive oil to prevent it from being dried out during baking. 375F, 10mins.  Carefully use a flat spatula to move the fish to plate