Curried Chicken Salad

My favorite Food Network chef is Ina Garten. I don't think I've made anything of hers that I didn't love. She has an amazing Curried Chicken Salad. The secret ingredient is chutney. Here's her version:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/curried-chicken-salad-recipe/index.html

And, here's mine:

¾ cups mayonnaise

¼ cup chutney

3/4 tsp garlic salt

1 ½ Tbs curry powder

Rotisserie Chicken, shredded

1 cup celery

1/2 cup craisins

¼ cup toasted almond slices

Blend mayonnaise, chutney, salt and curry powder in food processor. Mix with chicken, celery, craisins and mayonnaise mixture. Add almond slices just before serving.

 

This is the chutney I used but any will work.

 

I like serving my curried chicken salad on Keebler Club Crackers.

2012 07 21

Izaka-Ya Restaurant

I am always in search of Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki translates into "what you like, grilled" and is a Japanese savory dish filled with cabbage; pork, chicken or seafood; and a pancake mixture. This is topped with Bonito flakes and a sauce typically made of mayonnaise. It may not sound very appetizing but trust me, it's delicious! Hiroshima style starts with a layer of the pancake mixture and then ingredients are separately fried and layered on top. One of the layers consists of noodles--love it.

I read that Izaka-Ya near Japantown in San Jose served okonomiyaki and I had to try it out.

 

 

Saba Shioyaki (grilled mackerel)--$8.25. Moist, firm fish with a nice side salad. I loved the miso dressing on the salad.
 



 

Yellowtail Kama (grilled yellowtail cheek)--$11.25. The fish cheek is always a  prized delicacy and this one did not disappoint. The cheek was very tender.

 

Yakinasu (grilled eggplant)--$4.75. Half an eggplant, grilled to perfection and topped with a rich soyu glaze.

 

Ohitashi (cooked spinach)--$4.75. It was served room temperature. I liked the flavors, especially with the shaved bonito but some pieces had dirt.

 

Agedashi Tofu (fried tofu in sauce)--$5.75. I love agedashi tofu and this one is perfectly soft inside with a nice crust and the sauce is delicious.

 

Ume Onigiri (rice ball with plum paste)--$5.25. The plum paste is sweet and salty at the same time, an acquired taste. A little expensive for just rice and a little plum paste though. Sake Onigiri (salmon rice bll)--$5.25. This reminded me of my trip to Japan. Before boarding the bullet trains, we would purchase these rice balls to eat during the ride. The yellow disks are pickled daikon.

 

Okonomiyaki--$10.75. This was filled with octopus and was very tasty--I am a huge octopus fan. The bonito flakes and pickled ginger on top add to the flavor. It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, just the way okonomiyaki should be. But, this was Osaka style and not my beloved Hiroshima style. I'll have to keep searching.

Overall, it was a good experience. I'll be back!



2012 07 15

Maruichi

One of my favorite ramen restaurants is Maruichi in Mountain View. I love their Kuro Ramen with home-made ramen in a browned garlic, pork and chicken soup. It includes a soft-boiled egg, roast pork, bean sprouts and green onions.

 

Home-made ramen--chewy and just right.

 

Kim Chee

 

2012 07 15

The Fig Cafe

The Fig Cafe is part of Sondra Bernstein's restaurant family and is located in Glen Ellen. Unfortunately, it does not accept reservations. There is no corkage fee so you're free to bring your own wine. If you don't feel inclined to bring your own, they serve four 2-oz tastes for $10.


House Marinated Olives (and giant capers)--$3.95. The olives had a hint of orange and were well cured. They could have used a little more salt though.

There is a Plat du Jour that changes weekly--3 courses for $25.

The first course this week was Arugula, Romaine, Almonds, Fennel, Grilled Corn, Smoked Paprika Salad--not much flavor. It needed more salad dressing.

The second course was Chicken Stuffed with Tarragon and Whole Grain Mustard, Mashed Potatoes and Slow Roasted Romano Beans. The chicken was moist and the skin was crisp, just the way I like it.

There was a choice of banana cake or cheese for dessert. I chose the Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese. If you haven't had Humboldt Fog, you need to try it. It's so flavorful!

Fig & Arugula Salad with goat cheese, pecans, pancetta and grilled figs with port vinaigrette--$8.25. This was delicious. Loved the fried pancetta.

 Cafe Pot Roast with braised greens, cipollini onions and horseradish mashed potatoes--$17.95. The pot roast was fork-tender and the mashed potatoes had just a hint of horseradish--flavorful without being overpowering.

 Classic Bread Pudding with currants, vanilla ice cream and whiskey caramel sauce--$7.00. I'm not a bread pudding fan but my husband is and he loved it. Moist and delicious.

We loved our meals and will definitely be back!

2012 07 17

Another Thursday Night Dinner

It's Thursday night and you know what that means--Dinner with Alan and Sandy at Flavor's. Another great dinner with old and new friends!

 

Bruschetta Di Verdure--Topped with Garlic-Herb Marinated Tomatoes, Grilled Eggplant & Zucchini, Formaggio Bianco, Flavored with Olive Tapenade served with 2010 Whitehall Lane Sauvignon Blanc from Napa Valley. This was delicious--loved the balsamic reduction glaze.

 

Duck Filled Ravioli Served in a Sugo D'Arrosto Finished with a Touch of Cream, Topped with Organic Mushrooms, Parmigiano-Reggiano served with 2008 Sonoma-Cutrer Pinot Noir from the Russian River Ranches. The sugo was amazing--I sopped it all up with bread (couldn't waste a single drop).

 

Grilled Marinated Local Lamb Loin Chop Served in a Tuscan White Bean Ragout Flavored with Sweet Basil Pesto & Garnished with "Mediterranean Chips" served with 2010 Artezin Zinfandel from Mendocino.

 

Italian Style Ice Cream Float Served with Homemade Chocolate & Vanilla Gelato Topped with a Shot of Espresso, Chantilly Cream and Toasted Almonds served with Fonseca Reserve Bin 27 Ruby Porto from the Douro Valley in Portugal.

 

 

2012 07 19

Chocolate on Chocolate

It was my husband's birthday and he wanted Chocolate on Chocolate cake from the Prolific Oven. They have locations in Palo Alto (the original), Saratoga, Santa Clara and Fremont. We also had the cake for our wedding. Love the moist cake but love the rich thick chocolate frosting--almost a ganache--even more. Yum!

 

 

8" cake that serves 8-10 for $28

Ma Ma Chen's Kitchen

I was so excited that there was a new restaurant in Cupertino. I was so disappointed after dining there. The restaurant opened 2 weeks ago in a strip mall on Stevens Creek Blvd. The food is beautifully presented but sadly lacked flavor. There are over 200 items on the menu and it was hard to wade through the menu. How can any place perfect so many dishes? That was part of the problem.

 

Steamed Meat Ball--$4.25. The skin was too thick and too hard and the sauce needed more flavor. In addition, it was literally a meat ball. The authentic dish from Taiwan is supposed to have diced meat instead of ground meat.

 

Deep Fried Ground Pork Onion Roll--$4.50. Anything deep fried should be tasty but this lacked flavor. The sauce was too watery and the marinated cabbage lacked salt and vinegar.

 

Sweet Rice Stuffed in Pork Chitterling--$5.00.  I would have liked this dish but the rice was steamd too long and therefore mushy.

 

Steamed Sticky Rice with Shrimp--$19.00. There must have been over a pound of shrimp on this dish. The shrimp were steamed and I liked the flavor in the heads. The rice was well cooked and had the right chewiness but needed more flavor.

 

Squid Potage Soup--$5.25. The bamboo shoots and carrots were shredded finely (just right) but the squid in fish paste needed more flavor. The broth also lacked flavor.

 

Beef Chow Fun--$7.50. Just plain flavorless.

 

 

 



2012 07 14