A CURRY CHICKEN PIZZA

We were so inspired by this pizza when in Fiji because it was so tasty and spicy. Steve was going to mimic it at home. Note, that this homemade pizza - which is far cry from your everyday Round table/Pizza Hut stuff and way better because it uses home-made fresh dough and other fresh ingredients for a variety of toppings.

BASIC BREAD DOUGH:
2 C hot water
1 dash of yeast
1 C whole wheat flour
Salt
olive oil
Enough high grade white flour to make a dough
Note: This may be an overwhelming amount of dough for two people. Just use what you need and pack the remaining dough in a plastic bag in the refrigerator - good for 1 week).

In a bread machine container, add hot water (slightly above body temp); add the yeast and wait for yeast "proof" (5 minutes). Proofing is when the yeast creates gas bubbles and comes alive.

Still in the bread machine but now turning on the mixer (dough/pasta setting), add whole wheat flour and allow to absorb in. Begin adding cups of high-grade white flour until mixture starts to form dough. Follow with couple teaspoons of salt. Keep adding flour until dough it pulls away from bread machine and starts to form a ball. Add a Tbsp or so of good quality olive oil and allow to mix in. Turn off mixing and leave dough to rise till it doubles in volume. This is dependant on temperature. After it rises - punch it down.

Time to roll out. Knead and add more flour as needed to roll out. The whole process is about 1.5 hours. Flatten to your preferred pizza size. Here is a video for a sundried tomato, eggplant, onion and cheese pizza. The dough making parts are clearly outlined in a step by step process. Note: Having a bread machine makes it easier and you can add whatever toppings in the end such as the curry chicken mixture that follows:


Now for the Hot chicken curry topping:
Chicken curry mixture.
1/2 lb ground chicken
1 Tbsp hot curry powder
5 curry leaves.
1 tsp fresh ground roasted cumin
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 onion chopped fine
1/2 Tbsp olive oil

Extras to set aside for pizza toppings:
1 chopped ripe tomato
2 chopped fresh green onion
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped mild cheese.
Note: For a spicy pizza, chop 5 long Thai green chilies fine. Be careful to use gloves.

In a bowl, dissolve the curry powder, cumin with lemon juice and set aside.
Heat olive oil in a cast iron pan. Add onions and saute until brown.
Add garlic and ginger, and curry leaves and salt to taste; stir for 3 minutes. Add chicken and stir for one minute. Add curry mixture into chicken and stir-fry until chicken is fully cooked. Test salt content again and add extra salt is desired. Set mixture aside to cool.

Roll out bread dough to desired size pizza. Spread (room temp) curry chicken mixture evenly across the dough; follow with green onions, cilantro, chopped tomato, cheese and fresh chopped chilies. Pat down firmly. Squeeze half a lemon over it for an extra tangy appeal.

Place in the oven and bake at 250ºC for 15 minutes or until dough rises and gets brown.
Voila! Spicy and flavourful!

A Summer Lunch Crab Feast

The pace at which my in-laws were gearing up for their anniversary party celebration was good. Preparation for the Saturday event was properly timed and we often found moments to share good food and wine. It is special and I have grown to so enjoy them as I have grown to know Steve and his family.

We were preparing for lunch with Steve's relatives. The patio table was to be decked out for a delicious lunch. It was simple fare that was made elegant with great crab, good company and some fabulous white wine.

The crab is essentially the best type - Alaskan King Crab. Not easy to find in NZ. Anywhere else you find it - look for the best price. Alaskan King Crab, as the name suggests, are huge. Just to give you an idea what they look like before steaming - here is a picture of one I picked off a google search:
This crab is known best for it's lovely flavour and the mighty amount of meat found in those large legs. Once steamed, cracked, and dipped in a spicy butter sauce - it tingles any taste bud.
Here was our spread:





Fresh salad, crusty bread to mop up the juice and a good glass of white wine!




















DIPPING SAUCE:

• 1/4 STICK OF BUTTER - melted
• 1 Tbsp of Tom Yum (Thai) mix
• 2 Tbsp of lemon juice
• 1-2 clove of garlic (varies to your liking)
  
• 2 Thai chilies - chopped fine (amount varies to your liking)
  

Melt the butter gently and add the other ingredients after. Mix well and serve immediately with steamed crab. If the dipping sauce cools too fast it will become butter again so serve warm and dip that crab meat in. Keep a cup of extra lemon juice around for those that enjoy a little extra tartness in their dipping sauce.
¡Salud!

OYSTERS HOLLY

Oysters, when chosen well and prepared appropriately, are wonderful raw. Many sea creatures taste good super fresh: squid; scallops and mussels. One must be careful though with eating sea creatures raw. Lots can happen and much of it ain't good. Severe food poisoning and gastroenteritis may result and this may require hospitalization in severe cases.

Know your oyster, eat it fresh (ask), be alert for shellfish warnings that occur seasonally and for Pete's sake don't take risks eating any ol' oyster from any old hole in the wall restaurant; the dining establishment should be well known and highly regarded for good quality (fresh) food - don't take any risks.

I don't shuck my own oysters I'd rather leave that to the pros.
The best way to eat oysters is raw but lightly baked or grilled is just as good as raw. The toppings one can use in these cooking scenarios can give a wonderful flavor to the oyster.
The only thing that some people miss is the taste of the sea. Eating an oyster raw doesn't mean that it has to taste fishy. Rather, there should be a crisp and briny type feeling on one's tongue. Some raw oysters have a delicate cream to them - a kind of fatty layer. There are folks that find that delectable and others (like me) - who find it a turn off. Some raw oysters leave a stringent feeling on one's tongue - reminiscent of a moment back in college, in a hall closet...well I won't go any further; nevertheless a bit of a turn off.

For the beginning oyster eater - try the oysters in shooters (bloody mary). Then progress to raw then lightly baked or grilled. The recipe after my name was created by a special someone - my Fiancé. It is deliciously spicy.

Oysters Holly:

• 1 dozen fresh, good quality oysters - already shucked and in a baking pan
• (Rinse lightly to remove shell bits and completely drain water).

• 12 thin slices of good cheese such as Gouda, Parmesan, etc.
• Hot sliced spanish salami; non-generic and from a specialty food store
• Habanero Tabasco sauce.

1. Turn on your oven broiler.
2. Arrange freshly rinsed and dried oysters in a baking pan; well spaced.
3. Try not to have the oyster tilt too much in the pan.
4. Place a slice of cheese on top of each oyster.
5. Place a slice of good quality spanish hot salami over the cheese.
6. Broil just until cheese melts; do not overbake!
7. Remove tray of oysters from oven, place a drop of Habanero Tabasco on top.

Serve with warm crusty bread to mop up juices and a nice glass of white wine. Enjoy!
Woops! Ate them before I took the photo (@%&*!).

AVOCADO LIME PIE:

This recipe was found at a cool market described in detail here: California Refugees in NZ
"It has but a subtle taste of Avocado to it..."

The recipe was offered by a gal selling Hass Avocados at the Clevedon Market. My food blog is "morphing" I guess. As I start to develop my cooking skills and learn new things about food and restaurants I also would like to share them on this here blog.

This recipe is interesting in that it utilizes quite a bit of avocado yet tastes like lime. Condensed milk is key to the rich creamy texture as is the crushing of avocado pulp.
This pie is best after a thoroughly spicy meal; the smooth, creamy, richness will calm the most inflamed taste bud:)

Nutrition Facts and Information about Avocado:
Avocado is a fat-rich fruit having a fat content of about 23%. It contains dietary fibers. It is rich in minerals such as copper, magnesium, manganese, and contains some amounts of iron, calcium, iodine, selenium, zinc and phosphorus.

Vitamin Content:
Avocado is well known for its high vitamin K and Vitamin A content. It also contains small amounts of Vitamin B, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Biotin, and Folate.

Calorific Content of Avocado:
Fruits are normally not rich in calories and are eaten for their ability to provide vitamins, minerals and digestive fibrous content. However, avocado owing to its high fat content provides good quantity of calories. A 100 gm of edible portion of the fruit provides about 215 calories.

Health Benefits of Avocado:
The nutritional value of avocado makes it good for indigestion, hair care, heart health, skin care, psoriasis, and bad breath.

Okay satisfied? Note that this is a high fat, high cholesterol recipe.
Negative contributors: Sugar, butter, cookies, avocado; and now...the recipe:

RECIPE:

• 1 cup sieved ripe avocado pulp.
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk'
• 1 tsp grated lime zest
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 egg yolks
• pinch salt
• 1 sheet rolled sweet pastry- cooked or 15 NICE Arnott's cracker crust (blended with butter).
• Combine condensed milk, lim zest, juice, lightly beaten yolks of salt, blend until mixture thickens.
• After that - stir in avocado pulp.

Pour filling into cooled baked pie shell, filling as appropriate and set in refrigerator to chill.
The recipe is easy but the crust is one for you to decide.

From the top:
The recipe called for a sweet flaky crust. I decided to create a graham cracker crust using Arnott's 'NICE' crackers. About 15 or so of these were crushed into fine bits. Then I softened about 1/4 cup of butter and mixed it with the crushed cookie mess:
The cookie crumble was molded into a ceramic pie dish and baked at 200 degrees for 10 minutes. Once that was done it was set aside to cool.

I mashed 3 avocados. There were a lot of chunks n' things and although the recipe called for putting it through a sieve. The thick avocado mash would take work to pass through a wire sieve. Well to get facilitate the process a bit, I added some milk to promote a slight liquefication of the avocado mash:
Thereafter, it was easily pushed through a sieve. An immaculately smooth mixture of pure avocado came through the other end. It was rich, smooth...and so freakin' green!
Next came the lime juice, lime zest and condensed milk. Mix only those and blend until thick!

I actually stuck this along with the avocado pulp into the blender with 3 egg yolks. I blended it until thick. It still looked green, smooth & thick. After the consistency was appealing, I poured the mixture into a cooled cookie crust and chilled for 2 hours. Voila:
Looks good, doesn't it? It sure did taste good! The true test was Steve...let's see...

SOMETHING OF A JE NE SAIS QUOIS in Auckland

Tonight was dinner at the famous Auckland landmark: French Cafe. It has been rated in the top 10 restaurants in Auckland for the past 4 years at least. As in SF, I've tried to make it a point to check out the top restaurants around town. I usually like to dine with folks that enjoy food and are not concerned about the cost. This gets to be difficult in Auckland unless you are part of the elite. So, my tristes to upscale restaraunts are more by way of celebrations of friendship and experiences.

The decor is light and the staff delightful. As an American living in Auckland for two years, it felt really nice to finally do it up as I used to in San Francisco. We dined with our wonderful Kiwi friends. The last time they enjoyed this restaraunt was a good 20 years ago. I had no idea this restaurant was around for that long! Simon Wright is the Chef/Owner of the restaurant. He has trained in Europe´s top Hotels and Michelin Star Restaurants. Simon changes the menu monthly in order to utilise the best ingredients available. Simon Wright believes he is a better chef for moving to New Zealand. With an eye to the top end, he’d worked in some of London’s best kitchens – “and New Zealand forced me to be more creative”, he says. “It would have been so much harder in London. One must look at several types of menus -
1) Tasting menu - 6 courses - $90/person; with optional $60/person wine matching
2) Chef's tasting menu - 11 courses - $120/person with optional $85/person wine matching.
3) A la carte: appetizers ~$18; First course ~$25; and mains- $40.00

All four of us did the tasting menu. It started off with a tiny dish called an
"AMUSE BOUCHE": Creamy pate stuffed in crispy cannelloni laid on a pear salad. Well, that is all I could recall; my mind was overwhelmed at how this dish was so well put together.
Other courses were:
MARINATED TUNA
picked crab, aromatic herb salad, toasted rice, lime leaf dressing
SEARED SCALLOP
crispy pork, cauliflower and almond puree, apple salad
ROASTED FRENCH GOATS CHEESE
caramelised onion, beetroot and fig tart, red wine syrup
SEARED DUCK BREAST
sweet spices, steamed bok choy, kumara mash, jus of oranges
or
CRISPY-SKINNED SNAPPER
pearl barley and sweetcorn risotto, prawns, crushed basil
ELDERFLOWER AND CHAMPAGNE GRANITA
lemon cream, blueberry compote
BAKED CHOCOLATE SABLEE TART
toffee cream, chocolate sauce, roasted hazelnuts,malted milk ice cream

The whole menu was a gustatory delight! Although the whole menu was well presented and the flavors were tingle to the taste buds -the best of the menu items were the Amuse Bouche, Roasted French Goats cheese, Seared duck breast and elderflower dessert.
The Goat cheese was divine - the cheese was home made - lovely soft and not too strong. The pastry was light and buttery and the presentation a work of art. Here is a picture:

Overall dinner was worth it. The variety of flavors and pairings with wine were fantastic.

The price for all 4 with 6 courses each and 4 different types of wine = $600.
Add to this tip. Now here is where it got funky. As an American the tip calculator should have been ready to calculate; however living in Auckland for 2 years and not required to pay a tip for over two years...well let's just say the tip calculator no longer worked. So when I saw the EFTpos asking me for a tip on the teeny weeny screen for the first time- I stood there dumbfounded trying to calculate it out. Instead of $50 I typed in $5.00 for tip. Restaurant fanatics beware that tips are making a comeback in Auckland.