American Archives - - Page 3 of 9

Champagne and food pairings – some surprisingly fun and casual options

When pairing Champagne and food, the acidity of the wine is key to finding its perfect food partner. There are some classic and extravagant pairings like caviar and oysters, but there are some more unexpected foods that are also a great match. I don’t think that Champagne has to be stuffy and formal at all. It’s always a great time to enjoy bubbles – and here are some of my favourite pairings, perfect for a casual weekend afternoon or to start your evening with. Continue Reading →

The Elvis sandwich

Riding on the wave of my last post, where I disclosed my hubby’s peculiar fondness for dolloping peanut butter in his cheeseburgers, I decided to explore more deeply, this pairing of the saltiness of meat together with peanut butter. It brought me back in time, to a possibly better time when bell-bottoms were très chic, when there was glory in the excess, when Elvis sang, and dearly loved a peanut butter, bacon and banana sandwich.

Continue Reading →

Family Food: Buttermilk Pancakes

Fluffy and tasty even on their own, these are our house pancakes. I’d even pack a whisk into my suitcase just to be able to serve these buttermilk pancakes when we’re travelling. They’re that easy to make. And they’re that good!

Continue Reading →

Breakfast treats: banana, nuts and chocolate chips muffin

When it comes to breakfast treats like waffles and (American-styled) muffins, I rarely get them from cafés or coffee-shop chains. One big reason is that I can easily make them at home. Another bigger reason is that almost all of the time, the store-bought ones turn out to be quite bad. Continue Reading →

Pantry Basics: Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

I’ve tried a host of vanilla ice cream recipes, but love this one—based on Johnny Iuzzini’s in Dessert Fourplay—best for making the vanilla ice cream that I have in our freezer at all times. It’s the first ice cream my son, T ever tasted. His little eyes lit up and he grinned in excitement when he registered its flavour, texture and temperature all at once for the very first time. That moment was truly priceless. Continue Reading →

Eating like a local in Oahu, Hawaii

On a recent trip to Hawaii, where there’s no shortage of good food, and where there is tons of fusion, I had the opportunity to be introduced to some delightful grindz (the Hawaiian word for food). Two particular outings left a mark on me. Continue Reading →

The Downtown Grocery in Vermont – great meal, great time

I haven’t had that much fun in a restaurant in a long time! The Downtown Grocery Vermont is a ski town during this season, and when I called on Thursday night for weekend reservations, I was surprised that it was already fully booked for Saturday. Fortunately for us, they had a Friday slot available at 745pm. My sister and I arrived early as we were hoping to turn in a little earlier that night, and although we were a little apprehensive about getting seated at the bar because our table was not yet ready, man did we get lucky! Continue Reading →

Rice Cooker Macaroni and Cheese

This is not gourmet macaroni and cheese. This is not mac and cheese with a crunchy breadcrumb topping, made from a roux base, and garnished with crispy deep-fried sage leaves and shaved white truffles (although I have a weak spot for this deluxe version). This is mac and cheese, where a rice cooker does all the work for you; and with a little light stirring, the result is a comforting, kid and baby-friendly meal in just 30 minutes. Continue Reading →

Pantry Basics: Brined Turkey

My brined turkey recipe arrives too late for this year, I know. I’m just quickly filing it away here while the memory of how it was made is fresh in my mind because this recipe, a variation on my friend Sujata’s, is a keeper. Continue Reading →

Pantry Basics: Red Velvet Roll Cake

This super easy to make, light and tender-crumbed Red Velvet roll cake weds CH’s obsession with Red Velvet and my love of Japanese-style roll cakes (ロールケーキ or ro-ru keiki). Continue Reading →

California’s Umami Burger

When I was in Los Angeles recently, the friend that I was visiting told me that I had to try Umami Burger. Her sister who is based in Singapore had watched a television program about Umami Burger, and being a food blogger based in the USA, how have I managed not to write about burgers so far? Umami, also known as the fifth taste (besides sweet, sour, bitter and salty), has been an increasingly popular catchword in the culinary world for the past few years. Taste receptors in the tongue have been found to differentiate umami flavours and therefore scientists consider it to be unique from saltiness. For me, it is something almost indescribable…like an extra oomph in your food. Umami Burger focuses on bringing out naturally occurring umami flavours in their burgers.

Continue Reading →