End the Hunger Games here……Technique Restaurant Pasadena

My recent review of Technique Restaurant, Le Cordon Bleu’s School of Culinary Arts final training ground for their master chefs. Link at:

http://www.examiner.com/restaurant-in-los-angeles/pasadena-s-technique-restaurant-offers-le-cordon-bleu-culinary-delights-review

New Delhi Palace, Pasadena

My most recent restaurant review…

http://www.examiner.com/restaurant-in-los-angeles/the-new-delhi-palace-a-family-owned-restaurant-serving-pasadenans-for-20-years-review

Pasadena Restaurant Closures-Plus, Dine out for a Cause!!

http://www.examiner.com/restaurant-in-los-angeles/pasadena-loses-two-family-restaurants-dine-for-a-cause

Maria’s Italian Kitchen, the best Italian food in Pasadena

Maria’s Italian Kitchen, the best Italian food in Pasadena.

La Fiesta Grande serves the best tacos al carbon in Pasadena

La Fiesta Grande serves the best tacos al carbon in Pasadena.

Green Earth Vegan Cuisine, the best vegan restaurant in Pasadena

Green Earth Vegan Cuisine, the best vegan restaurant in Pasadena.

Mezbaan Indian Cuisine has been serving Pasadena residents for over 20 years

Mezbaan Indian Cuisine has been serving Pasadena residents for over 20 years.

Word for the Day…a tasty pastry

I ran into the word “brioche” at The Corner Bakery yesterday and just had to know what it meant!

Brioche is a rich, buttery, delightful pastry, a sublime dish served with perhaps a little jam and a steaming cup of café au lait.

Here’s a recipe:

Ingredients
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 cup butter, softened
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water
Directions
1.In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
 
2.In a large bowl, stir together the flour sugar and salt. Make a well in center of the bowl and mix in the eggs and yeast mixture. Beat well until the dough has pulled together, then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 8 minutes.
 
3.Flatten the dough and spread it with one third of the butter. Knead this well. Repeat this twice to incorporate the remaining butter. Allow the dough to rest for a few minutes between additions of butter. This process may take 20 minutes or so. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

4.Deflate the dough, cover and refrigerate until completely cool; about 30 minutes. At this point the dough can be left in the refrigerator for up to eight hours, in fact, the longer you leave it, the more workable it becomes.

5.Lightly grease two 9×5 inch loaf pans. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into two equal pieces, form into loaves and place into two lightly greased 9×5 inch loaf pans. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 60 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

6.Bake in preheated oven about 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Let the loaves cool in the pans for 10 minutes before moving them to wire racks to completely cool.

Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/brioche/detail.aspx

European Vacation- places- Amsterdam, Day2

On July 25th, Wade and I took the 6 hour Hop-On, Hop-Off Canal Cruise of Amsterdam while Maurice and Andre did some clothes shopping. Since the city is riddled with canals, it’s the best way to navigate your way around without getting lost on its long, narrow streets.


We enjoyed the historical buildings, and then had a delicious snack at B&B Lunch Café. We got back on and left at the next stop to walk through Vondelpark (which was named after a famous Dutch poet, Joost van den Vondel, whom they call their Dutch “William Shakespeare.)

After the cruise, we met up with the guys and had dinner at the best Greek Restaurant in Amsterdam.

European Vacation-Food Facts- To tip or not to tip?

To tip or not to tip? That is the question. Tips are included in restaurant charges, so the food servers have very little incentive to give you excellent service. If they do happen to give you excellent service, you can leave a small tip to show you appreciated the effort.

Remember, ask for a “to go” box at your peril. Europeans rarely take home the left-over food, and I was dressed down by a very rude food server in Valkenburg for asking for a box to go! I left her one American penny, to make a statement about what I thought of her service; she didn’t come back to our table to see if we needed anything else, brought only 3 of the 4 dinners out at the same time and we had to hunt her down to ask for my food, and she sent another food server to our table when we asked her if she’d snap our picture (the restaurant was half empty, so there was no excuse for her to brush us off in that rude manner!)

While we were in Europe we ate at: Angelati’s in Eijsden, the Netherlands; the Greek restaurant in Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Charlie’s in Brussels, Belgium; the Indonesian Restaurant in Amsterdam; Pet Thai Restaurant in Maastricht, the Netherlands; B&B Café in Amsterdam; and Le Grand Café in Brussels, Belgium.