Kimchi Jigae

Leftover kimchi? Miso paste? Several simple ingredients combined make a traditional spicy Korean staple: Kimchi Jigae.

My edited version was vegetarian, (omitting pork) since traditionally you would need some fat or stock for flavor.  Using Kaiseki miso gives the dish a deep flavor which pork accentuates, but is not required.


Kimchi Jjigae ~ 김치찌개 (for 2) 

1/3 lbs pork belly sliced very thin (omit if vegetarian)
1/2 small onion sliced
1 Cup loosely packed kimchi with juice
2 cloves of garlic minced finely
2 Cups hot water (Ideally just boiled out of a kettle (electric or traditional) 
1 Tbs cooking wine to taste (mirin or shaoxing)
2 Tablespoons of red (kaiseki) miso or dengjang
6 oz silken tofu sliced into cubes
2 green onions thinly sliced for decoration

Optional, to taste:

Soy sauce (or light soy sauce)
Gochugaru (Korean dried chili flakes)

Saute in a small pot the pork belly, onion and garlic, rendering some fat from the pork on medium heat until the garlic and onion take on some color. [Alternatively saute the onion and garlic in a bit of butter if omitting pork.]  Then add the kimchi with juice, tofu, and cooking wine. Bring the mixture to a simmer (don't overboil).  In a separate bowl combine the hot water and miso, whisking together to combine.  Add the miso liquid to the simmering pot and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and taste for spiciness. Add as much gochugaru to taste as you like.  I prefer not to overcook the meat and kimchi, to still have some texture in the kimchi. If you like your kimchi soft, add another 10-15 minutes to the cooking time in the end.  To serve: ladle into individual bowls and sprinkle the green onion.

The end of Gourmet

As reported by multiple news outlets, Conde Nast, the publisher of Gourmet magazine, has decided to shutter printing of the famed magazine, effective with November issue. Needless to say, the print readership, supported by advertising revenue is not what it used to be. Its magazines have lost more than 8,000 ad pages, excluding its bridal titles, so far this year.

As CNN article noted: "The magazine industry is in a difficult position generally speaking, it's losing revenue to online advertising and it's a tough business right now," said Richard Dorfman, managing director of Richard Alan Inc., a financial advisory and investment company focusing on the media industry." A bit of a truism statement, if you ask me.

This was by no means a sudden decision. Conde Nast was well aware back in January of this year, that there were problems with Gourmet media buys and was reviewing its options, according to financial media company 24/7 Wall St. :

Gourmet will probably not see the end of the year. Its parent company, Condé Nast, can no longer rely on the huge profits of the newspaper portion of the Newhouse family business.

The magazine operation needs to go on a diet. Condé Nast . . . owns Gourmet, Bon Appétit, and epicurious.com. Condé Nast simply owns too many titles in this category. From 2004 to 2008, Gourmet's ad pages have dropped from 1,364 to 955, with a 24 percent drop last year. January's ad pages were down another 32 percent according to MIN. Gourmet can survive since it has a competitive audience of web visitors to its food site, but it will have to migrate totally to its website.

The CEO's of Conde Nast, Charles H. Townsend, in his interview to the New York Times has made the point quite clear. Gourmet wasn't making money and it's sister publication, Bon Appétit was. With its wider circulation and more diverse readership, its the survivor of the foodie magazine rack along with, Saveur, Food & Wine and Cook's Illustrated amongst others. Sadly, Gourmet's editor-in-chief, famed food writer and critic, Ruth Reichl, whom I an enormous fan of, seemed stunned by the developments at the parent company.

According to nj.com "The Gourmet brand will live on in cookbooks (Reichl was in the midst of a promotional tour for “Gourmet Today” when she got the news — awkward!) and television programming, including “Gourmet’s Adventures With Ruth,” which premieres Oct. 17 on public television. "

Menage a trois, provencal

“"Well," said Pooh, "what I like best -- " and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called”

A.A. Milne

Said quote of Winnie the Pooh appropriately level set tonights events. Miel restaurant at Intercontinental Hotel Boston bills itself as "Boston’s first Provence themed brasserie, Miel "Brasserie Provençale" celebrates the organic wonders and intoxicating flavors of France’s fascinating Côte d’Azur region, focusing on aromatic herbs, lavender, honey and olive oil."

Speaking of olive oil, the chandelier below is constructed from hundreds of mini-bottles of olive oil.

The menu was:

Smoked Salmon Tartare with Buckwheat Crêpe

Paired with Three Rosé Wines

Swordfish, Golden Raisin-Caper Relish, Tomato Water & Basil Olive Oil

Paired with Three Olive Oils

Peach Tart with Olive Oil Cream and Acacia Honey Sabayon

Paired with Three Honeys

Impressions: Smoked Salmon was as expected, smoky and salty sweet, served napoleon style with layers of crepe separating the salmon tartare. The smoked salmon roe was a nice addition and made me crave it more. The three briny eggs were too lonesome and needed more company.

Swordfish was served carpaccio style and tomato water was like a consome served hot and cooking the thinly sliced swordfish. The raisin-caper stuffing had toasted pine nuts, but the sweetness of the raisins overpowered the delicate flavor of the swordfish and tomato. Interesting idea though.

The peach tart was nice and surprising addition of honey ice cream was a bonus. Shame that the restaurant/hotel does not make its own ice creams and has them made to order.

The surprise came from the honey. I've tasted acacia and clover honeys before, but never chestnut honey. The flavor was intense and reminded me of burnt sugar and bourbon together. Amazing! All in all , thanks to Miel for hosting this taste of Provence.

Got oysters?

It's early Sunday afternoon and I am having a slow start. The events of the day before are haunting me. Picture this: howling, unrelenting rain and wind, briny smell of the ocean, and the cacophony of three thousand hungry revelers all after one thing: the cull of the quahog. I am talking about what has been become an annual tradition in the town of Duxbury, a short 40 mile drive from downtown Boston, known as the Island Creek Oyster Festival.

This year, folks at Island Creek Oysters have come to celebrate and share what they live and breathe every day of the year: the glory of the bivalve. Despite the weather, this was a truly awesome night. The line up included the who's who of Boston food scene, representatives of wine and spirits world and everything in between.

I will admit that I have despite my attempts to focus on culinary creations of the likes of Jody Adams / Chef & Owner, Rialto or Chris Schlesinger / Chef & Owner, East Coast Grill and Jasper White / Chef & Owner, Summer Shack and Seth and Angela Raynor / Chef & Owners, The Pearl the focus was squarely honed on the day boats and the star of the show, the aforementioned mollusc, of which 40,000 were set aside for the event.

I've discovered that despite it's raw, briny goodness it's amazing what a few sauces do to bring out the raw flavor of this creature. My favorite, simply referred to as "crack" was a combination of fish sauce, cilantro, lime juice, and fresh chili pepper, garlic and ginger?. Married with a dash of yuzu the combination was simply orgasmic. I have never in my life experienced such flavor explosion that had me hooked from the get go. No wonder they call it crack ! Paired with Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, it was divine experience. Needless to say, I was mentally chained to the shuckers' every word and was eager to spread the gospel of "crack" to anyone who would listen. How many oysters did i eat? More than I care to mention but enough to feel somewhat sealionlike. Thank you again to my partner in crime, Christine Liu of Citysearch Boston, who made my attendance possible and accompanied me throughout. You are a formidable reveler!!!

Confessions of a chocoholic

This past Saturday, Ive had the pleasure of being invited to the relaunch of the Chocolate Bar at the Langham Boston with representatives of the media, Twitter and blogosphere. The idea is decadently simple. Who doesn't love dessert and especially chocolate? For the exception of dieters and diabetics out there, most will raise both hands, smile with glee, and will trample over each other for a chance in the sinful indulgence. But herein lies the caveat in all of its chocolate goodness. How much dessert can one stomach first hand in the morning, sans the usual savory treats of eggs, bacon, toast, etc? Yes, that's right. The only eggs were of the pastry cream variety, sugar and all.

The selection was simply mind blowing. Circa 85 different desserts are displayed in all their glory on multiple stations in the cavernous space of Cafe Fleuri. Chocolate covered bacon? No, you've asked too much. Traditional and somewhat, dare I say overly chocolaty interpretations smile and wink at you from every angle, though a few unusual creations were to be had, if you found them in the sea of dozens of well known creations such as whoopee pie, creme brule or chocolate mousse in all of its forms. Eat me, eat me!

The venue has taken a summer hiatus from its well known seafood buffet brunch, which incidentally relaunched this Sunday. I love the space and firmly believe it speaks of the grandeur of the hotel and reminds me of opulent surrounding that many English hotels are known for. "The Langham Hotel Boston blends the legendary hospitality of the original Langham grand hotel with the classic architectural elegance of Boston's former Federal Reserve Bank building."

With all the pomp and circumstance, dozens of chocolate and caramel balloons draped the columns of Cafe Fleuri, along with the customary white linen covered tables. We were introduced to the pastry chef among other hotel staff who joined us at the table by Julie Shamrock, Communications Manager at the Langham. Julie graciously explained that this year the theme for the Chocolate Bar is Boston neighborhoods. The multi directional post at the entry, pointed to Beacon Hill, Back Bay, Chinatown, North End and the like to showcase desserts representative of those enclaves.

Needless to say, we were all ravenous and ready for dessert exploits. Though I love chocolate and crave it in its cocoa nib purity, I must confess I am not a dessert person per se. I'll take a sweet and savory dish over dessert any day, Pad Thai for instance. My fellow table mates had mixed reactions. Some were happy to dive in to plate after plate of beautifully presented creations, while others, including yours truly were more cautious in their plan of attack. Simply put, it is virtually impossible to try everything. I attempted to try those creations that were unusual and untested. Egg and lotus seed buns, as well as fruit sushi and chocolate soup were my picks as well as mint and chocolate macaroons, which deceptively looked like pistachio flavored ones.

I'll cut to the chase. Though voluminous, the experience underwhelmed and overwhelmed at the same time. Underwhelming was the lack of savory options. Any. Chocolate pasta and pizza and chocolate stuffed crepes simply don't cut it as alternatives. I craved bacon and eggs, in their simplest form, badly. Overwhelming was the plethora of choices, with many selections, frankly too rich, too dense or too sweet were simply overdone. Which is a shame. The theme of Boston neighborhoods worked somewhat but was not representative in each display table, which was confusing. The mood lacked whimsy, harking back to the joys of childhood. A clown, brightly colored balloons perhaps? The hushed music piped over hotel speakers and the chocolate and caramel balloons created a somber mood, lost in the sea of black, brown and mocha. I wish Cafe Fleuri and the Chocolate Bar well, but at $38 per person + tip, you better be prepared for a dessert orgy and dare not ask for a salt shaker.