Author Archives: foodgal

The No-Guilt Pleasure of Japanese Pudding

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A sweet taste of Japan.
A sweet taste of Japan.

Even after visiting twice in six months, there are still so many aspects about Japan that I sorely miss:

The speed and efficiency of its bullet trains.

The reverence for ancient cultural traditions.

The civility and orderliness.

And most of all, the pudding.

Whether we had just gorged on a dinner of sushi or ramen or even a fine kaiseki, my husband and I could not pass a 7-Eleven there at the end of the night without stopping in to grab a small container of pudding in the refrigerator case.

Think the smoothest, silkiest flan with a layer of dark, bittersweet caramel.

For all of $1.50 U.S.

Is it any wonder that one taste left us immediately hooked on this pudding that’s known as purin?

Yearning for it back home, I came across a particular intriguing version of it: “Soy Sauce Pudding (Shoyu Purin)”

It’s from the new cookbook, “The Japanese Pantry” (Smith Street Books), of which I received a review copy.

It’s by Emiko Davies, an Australian-Japanese food writer and veteran cookbook author, who runs a cooking school and natural wine bar, Marilu, with her sommelier husband in San Miniato, Tuscany.

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A Visit to Cafe Vivant — Where the Chickens Come Home to Roast

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The roasted Pescadero Red chicken at Cafe Vivant.
The roasted Pescadero Red chicken at Cafe Vivant.

When my husband told a friend at the gym that he was going to dinner at a restaurant where a whole chicken costs more than $100, the response was:

“What?!? Does it lay golden eggs?”

Not quite.

But Cafe Vivant, which opened in late October in downtown Menlo Park, is definitely not your average fast-casual rotisserie or fried chicken joint.

Instead, this unique upscale restaurant specializes in heritage-breed poultry. If you remember decades ago when heritage turkeys started to be all the rage, despite a price tag multiple times larger than your average Butterball, then you get the gist of how these chickens differ.

These breeds, which existed before chickens became an industrial commodity, take longer to raise, are harvested when they are older, and not surprisingly, are in much smaller supplies. The results are chickens raised more purely, with more pronounced flavor and texture.

The upscale restaurant opened in Menlo Park at the end of October.
The upscale restaurant opened in Menlo Park at the end of October.
The striking dining room.
The striking dining room.

The restaurant is owned by revered sommeliers Jason Jacobeit and Daniel Jung, who also run Somm Cellars in New York City, which specializes in rare and collectible wines. They have partnered with farmer Rob James of Corvus Farm in Pescadero, who raises a couple of the specialty breeds.

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Whipped Spam — Whip It Good

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Spam -- that you don't want to delete.
Spam — that you don’t want to delete.

It’s as guilty a pleasure as there ever was one.

Spam is both beloved and maligned. But as anyone who grew up like me with the canned lunch meat will attest, there’s just a comforting nostalgia that tugs whenever we spot the familiar blue and yellow can on a supermarket shelf.

It’s mandatory for Hawaiian musubi, handy for noodle stir-fries on the spur of the moment, and a right of passage with eggs of any sort in the morning.

Now, get ready to enjoy it in “Whipped Spam with Toast Points,” in which it takes on an airy, chopped liver or dip-like consistency when whipped with cream cheese and herbs.

This intriguing recipe is from “Padma’s All American: A Cookbook” (Alfred A. Knopf), of which I received a review copy.

It’s by Padma Lakshmi, the former host and executive producer of Bravo’s “Top Chef” for 19 years. The cookbook draws from her travels and experiences from her Hulu series, “Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi.” If you haven’t yet watched the two seasons, I highly recommend them not only for the salivating food that’s highlighted, but for the deep illuminating cultural insights.

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Tiramisu — But Make It With Hong Kong Milk Tea

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An inspired Chinese spin on Italian tiramisu.
An inspired Chinese spin on Italian tiramisu.

Consider this the king of tiramisus.

Not only is it the creation of San Francisco Chef Melissa King. But it cemented her victory on “Top Chef: All-Stars” when one taste immediately brought tears to the eyes of legendary Italian butcher Dario Cecchini, who knows a thing or two about fine tiramisu.

As you can probably glean, her genius move was to give an Asian spin to this classic Italian dessert by swapping out the traditional espresso for Hong Kong milk tea instead.

This recipe for that winning “Hong Kong Milk Tea Tiramisu” is from her debut cookbook, “Cook Like A King” (Ten Speed Press), of which I received a review copy.

Growing up in Los Angeles’ San Gabriel Valley and in San Francisco, she started cooking with her mom as a kid. After college, she enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America. She ended up working under such lauded Bay Area chefs as Dominique Crenn and Ron Siegel.

In 2014, she was a finalist in “Top Chef” (Season 12) before going on to win “Top Chef: All-Stars” in 2020. I often think she didn’t receive the fanfare she deserved as the first Asian American female chef to triumph on “Top Chef,” largely because the worldwide pandemic erupted shortly afterward that rightly consumed everyone’s attention.

I’m glad to see that this cookbook — filled with such enticing, creative and fun creations — is allowing her to finally receive her flowers.

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A Visit to Paso Robles, Part II: Michelin-Starred Six Test Kitchen

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Hamachi with Asian pear and chili crunch at Six Test Kitchen.
Hamachi with Asian pear and chili crunch at Six Test Kitchen.

Paso Robles, CA — Six Test Kitchen made history in 2021 — becoming the first Michelin-starred restaurant in San Luis Obispo County. It has held that honor ever since.

It’s a true achievement for Chef-Owner Ricky Odbert, especially when you realize his 12-seat restaurant’s very humble beginnings.

Odbert had worked at some of the Bay Area’s most acclaimed restaurants, including Postrio, Spruce, Masa’s, Aziza, and the Restaurant at Meadowood. But he wasn’t even making enough to afford a cab ride home at the end of the night after work when MUNI had shut down its lines or curtailed them.

So, in 2015 he moved back to his parents’ house in Arroyo Grande. It was there he got the notion to start a restaurant of sorts in his parents’ garage. Fortunately, his father, who built commercial kitchens for a living, was all in on the idea and helped trick out the space.

Chef-Owner Ricky Odbert.
Chef-Owner Ricky Odbert.
Sommelier John Seals.
Sommelier John Seals.

Odbert’s underground supper club — all six seats of it — took off. That is, until someone complained to the authorities, and he had to shut it down until he got the proper permits for what he then promoted as a “test kitchen” with “cooking classes.”

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