Italian Candy

I have such a sweet tooth. In fact, I even have aspirations about travelling around the world and sampling candies and fruits from different cultures. I'm not sure how authentic these candies are in the Italian culture, but I came across these treats at a corner sandwich shop run by an Italian couple. They're called Gelee's. What a simple and yet eye catching way to package goodies. I've seen on the Martha Stewart show similar packaging ideas, and they've always appealed to me, but I come from a generation that doesn't prioritize the presentation. I want to make an effort to change that, but I've never really made the time to. I rarely gift people with edible products. And, personally, I imagine supermarket candies packaged this way to be tacky. So, what's the point? Regardless of my inactive participation, I can appreciate thoughtfully displayed presentations. What a great idea to sell products like this. The wrapping itself makes it enticing, the colors are vibrant, it was more than affordable, and such a fun and rare treat for people like me. I consider these candies universally friendly. I hardly feel that you need an acquired taste. The rose-flavored candy was a new and exciting experience for me.

GENKAI

Doesn't the sushi look scrumptious? It's beautiful art. It's exquisite food. It's a fantastic experience. What exactly am I going on about? Sushi at Genkai Restaurant. Here's the dialogue:

Someone says, "I want to eat sushi."

My response, "Oh, I know the best sushi place. PRIVATE RESERVE BEACH!!!"

Almost everyone has vehemently argued to have eaten at THE BEST sushi place ever, so what makes my claims any different? PRIVATE RESERVE BEACH! Sushi is seafood fished out from the sea. The better quality the seafood is, the superior the sushi is. The higher grade fish and shellfish are found in the freshest of waters. While many people, unknowingly, ignorantly go on about their favorite sushi restaurant being the very best, the majority of people don't have the slightest clue exactly where their food is coming from.

I, on the other hand, was properly educated by my friend who studies marine biology in Dana Point, CA, where Genkai is located. Dana Point is a small city that stretches 6.5 miles, home to a very well preserved beach. This small community prides itself on water life, nature preservation, and an appreciation for the charming and calm life living so close to the beach can offer. As a result, their beach is privately reserved and regularly monitored.

As you enter into this small town, you're immediately immersed by the salty air. The beautifully conserved beach is stretched out, and there's a magnificent view from virtually any of the major roads. The water is a glistening blue reflected off the sun. Even at night, the water's translucent. You often see still birds in the water waiting for just the right time to strike prey of sea urchins. Yes, you can see the dark, purple spikes of sea urchins. To be witness to such clarity near the Los Angeles area was a welcome shock to my system. The seashore is covered with crabs and other shellfish. There are guards who make sure that no one leaves the beaches with any shellfish, seashells, or anything else that belongs to the beach. With this kind of practice, it's no surprise that it's home to such fresh sushi.

Genkai, the hottest sushi place in town, employs the most prominent chefs from Japan who's creativities and skills are more than passable or great. They're exceptional. Each and every chef possesses an indispensable talent that's unique to themselves. Everything is prepared with the utmost care of excellence and respect. Everything served is fresh. By fresh, I mean, it's no longer than ten hours old. If the quality of the fish or shellfish isn't up their scrupulous standards, it isn't even available to the customers. The chefs work fastidiously to prepare imaginative and innovative dishes. To maintain this environment of artistic aspirations, Genkai doesn't carry a menu. The chefs surprise and impress you with whatever visions they bring to life. If, for whatever reason, you're not satisfied with your dish, you're under no obligation to pay for it. Although, I assure you that that'll never happen.

Some of you may find this operation to be restrictive, but it's quite the opposite. You can also guide your chef by telling him what kinds of ingredients you'd like. As a control freak, I practice that frequently. My favorite and regular chef is Tiger. He's friendly, diligent, and goes out of his way to please his customers. When I was bored, he made a puppet show for me with shrimp. Talk about customer satisfaction. Partly because my expectations are exceedingly high and mostly because I was curious to see what Tiger could concoct with such obscure ingredients, I demanded a dish with at least three types of sashimi, garlic, cream sauce, and fruit. And halfway through, I wanted him to use the fire torch. He presented a collection of sushi with three types of sashimi, cream sauce, topped it with slices of mangoes that were lightly torched (just enough so the juices were leaking), drizzled with cream sauce and garnished with roasted garlic. When I devastated that there was no sea urchin, he apologized with a redeeming dish. The tuna was shaped like a sleigh and stuffed with lobster and cream sauce surrounded by caviar. And, as beautiful as it was, just to paint a picture, I would consider that his mediocre performance. It was a lot simpler than his other creations. This was when he wasn't my chef, and he took on the burden of servicing me. And I'm a handful.

My friends and I have this tradition. We have to order the sashimi roll first. Normally, I'm unimpressed by sashimi. It's so average. What's so special about tuna and salmon, anyways? But the sashimi rolls here melt in your mouth and are the size of your palms. Each chef makes them differently, but it was served to me like flower petals before. It was overlapped in contrasting colors of the tuna and salmon and wrapped with soy wrap. Their sashimi rolls are always wrapped in soy wraps, which are white. They seem to dissolve in your mouth more pleasantly than the traditional black seaweed, and it's a lot more visually aesthetic. Some of my favorites are the sashimi rolls, sushi nachos, sushi burritos, monkey balls, and virtually every special that was ever made for me.

I'm never disappointed with the results. Their concepts are inventive and inspiring. As mesmerized as you are by the visual performance, you'll have very little restraint after you have a taste. As tempting as it is to say, "It's too beautiful to eat." That's far from the truth. It's beautiful, and it's a little tragic that it'll be gone, but to eat it is to respect it.

The first photo (above) is of the sashimi roll. Isn't it gorgeous? Sometimes, it's accompanied by cucumbers that are hulled out into tiny bowls with seaweed salad. Other times, it's layered like staircases or resemble flowers. No matter the presentation, the flavor dimensions always deliver. The response I always hear: The sashimi just melts in your mouth. I can't even remember what the second dish was exactly. I think those were a special. The third photo is of the Screaming Orgasm.

I’m sad to inform that it wasn’t very orgasmic or scream worthy. It didn’t hold the standards my friends and I were expecting, considering its name’s sake. It wasn’t an unpalatable dish. It just didn’t meet our standards. Truthfully speaking, titles, aside, it wasn’t the most memorable dish, and it was still a melt-in-your mouth experience. Monkey balls, on the other hand, were consumed so quickly that the camera never had a chance. It was a sushi dish served inside of button mushrooms. It looked gorgeous, tasted even better, but I can’t remember for the life of me what was inside of them.

The man in the picture is my chef, Tiger. Buy him a few rounds of drinks, and his inhibitions slowly dissolve. Not that he had much to begin with, but his creativity peaks even higher. Buy him a few more rounds, and he starts to forget exactly how many dishes you've ordered, and you end up with a massive discount. An estimated $300 bill totaled $90 between three people. I speak so highly of Genkai and Tiger that when I jotted down my friend's mother's model number for her hot pot (the brand being Tiger), my friend thought I tracked Tiger, the chef, down and got my hands on his employee ID number. Even with the knowledge that I was interested in the hot pot, she thought employee ID number. My boyfriend came to the same assumption. I'm just that obsessed.

Are you thinking it's true good to be true? Well, it is. Unfortunately, Genkai is now under new ownership, so the quality of the sushi has declined. It's still a lot tastier than other sushi restaurants. So, if you live in Orange County, I recommend checking the place out. Some of you will be pleased to hear that a menu exists now. As for me, I live in LA County. So the drive is too far. I just haven't gotten around to post this up . . .until it was too late. Because of this unfortunate turn of events, my search for the BEST sushi place continues. The next time someone claims to have eaten at the best sushi place, evaluate the location and where the seafood was feasibly obtained e.g., nearby lakes or oceans.

Foods I Want to Try and Foods I Want to Make

Foods I Want to Try

1. Cucumber Lemon
2. White Balsamic Vinegar
3. Frisée
4. Watermelon Radish
5. Purple Potatoes
6. Palestine Sweet Lime
7. Blowfish
8. Goat Cheese
9. Fennel
10. Quinoa
11. Japanese Sea Salt with Matcha
12. Haleakala Red Sea Salt
13. Fingerling Potatoes
14. Farm Fresh Milk
15. Champagne Vinegar
16. Homemade Mayonnaise
17. Freshly Shaved Truffles
18. Star Fruit
19. Miracle Fruit
20. Black Sapote also known as black persimmon
21. Mangosteen
22. Fresh Tamarind
23. Breadfruit
24. Umeboshi Vinegar
25. Red Rice
26. Hempseeds
27. Goji Berries
28. Green Peppercorn
29. Pink Peppercorn
30. Dulse
31. Sherry Vinegar
32. Guava
33.
34.

Foods I Want to Make

1. Fried Chicken
2. Chicken Picatta
3. Smoked Salmon
4. Chocolate Chip Cookies
5. Kimchi Successful kimchi
5. Beef Jerky
6. Pickled Shrimp
7. Pickled Papayas
8. Chili con Carne
9. Pot Roast
10. Pickled Okra
11. Pickled Garlic
12. Preserved Meyer Lemons
13. Classic Quick Sticks
14. Homemade Pasta
15. Sticky Rice
16. Red Rice
17. Chicken Stock
18. Pickled Beets
19. Kimchi Jigae
20. Pickled Cucumbers
21. Strawberry Jam
22.

Greek Garlic Chicken

This recipe makes delicious, flavorful chicken. I've made this for a number of pot lucks with success. It can be made ahead of time without worrying about the flavor altering. It doesn't take long to make it, and the results are worthwhile. I usually prefer to marinade my poultry or meat overnight, but the concentrated amounts of garlic make it unnecessary for this recipe. The ingredients are easy to find. My only criticism is that the garlic odor becomes intense during the cooking process. I wait for the chicken to be done, open a window, and then I go for a 30 minute walk. By the time I return, the offensive odor has dissipated, and it's left with an appetizing smell. Because of this, I wouldn't recommend leaving this recipe to the last minute when friends are coming over. Give the space time to air out. Other than that, it tastes amazing. The chicken isn't dry, and the garlic flavor isn't overwhelming. It mellows and marinades the chicken beautifully. I believe this is a Food Network recipe, but I can't remember who made it exactly.

8 chicken legs
2/3 cup minced garlic (about 3 heads)
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp pepper
1-2 tsp salt
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Parsley sprigs

1. Rinse chicken, pat dry, and discard fat. Put legs in a rimmed 12 x 17" pan.

2. In a bowl, mix minced garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, pepper, and salt. Smear garlic mixture evenly over chicken, then arrange legs, cut side down, in a single layer.

3. Bake in a 375 degrees Fahrenheit oven until skin is well-browned, about 1 1/2 (1 1/4 hour in a convection oven). After 45 minutes, baste chicken with pan juice every 10-15 minutes.

4. Transfer chicken to a warm platter. Skim and discard fat from drippings. Add 1/2 cup boiling water to pan, stir to loosen browned bits, and pour sauce into bowl.

5. Scatter chopped parsley over chicken; garnish with parsley sprigs. Add sauce to taste.

TIP: Try to mince the garlic as precisely as possible. Larger chunks will burn quickly especially if you have an unusually strong oven, which I've had in the past. Even then, basting it will prevent most garlic burns. If you find some garlic crisps, simply smear them off with a knife. I was surprised to find that the entire recipe wasn't ruined.

NOTE: I actually don't use a roasting pan, so I never had the luxury to eat this chicken with the sauce. It still tastes unbelievably delicious, though. I imagine following the recipe completely will be even better. I just seem to fail at making gravy, so I opted against making the sauce.

Joe's Delicious Tomatoes

My friend, Joe, surprised me with these homegrown, plump, fresh tomatoes. They're these gorgeous Heirloom tomatoes that are oversized and super juicy. I simply cut chunky wedges and seasoned them with Maldon Sea Salt. They're the perfect healthy treat and not just because they're tomatoes, but they're also organically grown. Tomatoes found at the grocery store will never taste as fresh as these because they're picked before they're ready and speed-ripened. Speed ripening is a process when under ripe tomatoes are unnaturally sped to "ripen" and the skin turns red. But the inside is still under ripe. By the time it reaches the supermarket, the tomatoes have finished ripening, but it initially needed assistance. It's infeasible to wait for tomatoes to ripen naturally and deliver them from the farm without it rotting by the time it gets to us. So, given the circumstance, I can understand why this method is exercised, but that's also why I prefer going to Farmer's Markets. These were the free versions of the good stuff. Some of my friends think I'm nuts for making such a huge deal over tomatoes, but you'd be surprised to learn that tomatoes are the second most consumed fruit. Yes, botanically speaking, tomatoes are fruits. Produce that contain seeds are actually fruits, not vegetables. And yet the government perpetuates the ignorance surrounding tomatoes by legalizing it as a vegetable. I'm not exactly sure why. Well, anyways, if you haven't tried Heirloom tomatoes, I urge you to. I also suggest trying the yellow varieties, which, contrary to popular belief, aren't under ripe tomatoes, but, in fact, sweeter tasting than the red varieties.

One-Pan Chicken

This is one of the easiest recipes I've come across. In a single ovenproof pan, you add all of your vegetables and chicken. I recommend using a traditional cast iron skillet. It's a great way to maintain its seasoning properties, and I think this recipe just looks attractive with it. I ate mine with rice, but you can also have it with dinner rolls. All you do is simply chop up your vegetables of choice, which is the only labor in this recipe. I added carrots, zucchinis, and potatoes, but you can add whatever you want. Baby tomatoes are a wonderful addition I've put in before. They become juicy and flavor the other vegetables. Liberally coat everything with extra-virgin olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. The oven does the rest. I know this is a really brief, border lining unhelpful guide, but it's just that simple. It's a Nigella recipe. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for 45 minutes. That's it. I promise.

Tips: Don't use unevenly shaped vegetables such as broccolis or cauliflowers because they cook unevenly and burn quickly. If you do use vegetables like these, place the chicken on top to prevent burning and keeping the vegetables moist. I can't guarantee any promising results, though.

Steamed Artichokes

DISCLAIMER: When I categorize dishes "Vegetarian", I standardize it on the absence of poultry and meat such as chicken, duck, turkey, beef, or pork. I don't consider ingredients such as eggs which come from poultry or seafood vegetarian because I know many vegetarians who eat these ingredients without complaint.

Artichokes are one of those small joys in life. They're one of my favorite foods, and yet they're so simple and uncomplicated. Unfortunately, people seem intimidated about making artichokes. It does require a bit more preparation than other produce, but people spend hours cooking and baking. This is nothing! I'd like to see more people enjoying them. I know I took a long time until I prepared this myself because I didn't have a steamer rack, and as great as it would be to have one, it's not necessary. You can just as easily making flavorful artichokes without it. Here's a great recipe that calls for white wine, which I love in food, by Tyler Florence.

4 sprigs of parsley
4 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
2 lemons, cut in half
1/4 cup of white wine
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chicken broth or water
Salt and pepper to taste
2 whole artichokes

Put the parsley, garlic, bay leaves, lemons, wine, oil, and broth in a large pot and bring to a simmer. I suggest water for a more wine intensified taste unless you go for homemade chicken broth, which absorbs the flavor of the wine more readily. Season the liquid with salt and pepper. The fresher the pepper, the better the taste. In the meantime, prepare the artichokes.

Wash artichokes under cold water. Cut off the stems close to the base, and pull off the lower petals that are small and tough. Cut off the top inch of the artichoke and rub with half a lemon to preserve the green color, or you can soak the artichokes in acidulated water. Trim the thorny tips of the petals with kitchen shears or a knife. I personally find a superior knife a simpler task than scissors.

Place the artichokes in the steaming liquid, bottom up. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. The artichokes are done when a knife inserted into the base has no resistance.

To eat, pull of a leaf and scrape the meat off the tender end with your front teeth. Dip the ends of the leaves in lemon juice and melted butter if you'd like. When you reach the center of the cone of purple prickly leaves, remove it. This is the choke that protects the heart. Scrape away the fuzz covering the artichoke and enjoy. It's the meatiest, yummiest part of the artichokes, if you ask me. Steamed artichokes may be served hot or cold.